Living On, Weeping Sorrow
by Sayermyst
Summary: Completed SOM fic. What happens to Purim and Randi? (As a short warning, don't read the reviews first. This isn't to say that I don't like reviewers (in fact, I greatly appreciate them). There are many spoilers in the reviews, however.^^)
1. Notes

Love is the most powerful force in existence

Love is the most powerful force in existence. It will hurt or heal you, kill you or allow you to live anew. Too often is love's darker side disregarded. Dilandau: Chiku... Sayermyst: Aw, shut up Dilandau! Just because EVERYTHING irritates you doesn't mean this fic is bad. It's sappy, but not bad.

Notes to Living On, Weeping Sorrow:

First of all, I should probably say that this fiction is nothing like my other, The Truth of the Story: A Secret of Mana Uncovery (which will be finished eventually... hopefully). This short story is stuffed with drama and angst, and I would recommend this for those of a romantic heart. The events of this story take place a while after the destruction of the Mana Beast and Fortress. Also, since I haven't played the Secret of Mana in quite some time, a few of the facts may be a bit distorted. Most of them are little, however, and have been changed only to enhance the story. Please don't let them bother you. Here are some of the "distortions" : (Caution: If you have not played SoM, this story and its notes can basically be understood without prior knowledge from the game, but it contains significant spoilers. However, if you like spoilers or just don't think that you'll ever play SoM, by all means, read on.)

1)Popoie- I've never been very sure of the gender of this sprite. Some people say the sprite is a boy, and others insist that the sprite has too many feminine traits to be a boy. I've always simply thought of Popoie as "the sprite." However, for the sake of better story-telling, I'm adopting the official gender of Popoie and am deeming the sprite a boy.

2) Geshtar's time of death- Geshstar really did die before Sheex or Fanha

3) Immediately after the destruction of the Mana Fortress and Beast- Okay, if you've seen the conclusion of the game, I would like you to forget it. I'm saying that both Purim and Randi end up in Potos right after the Final Battle. What I mean is, I don't think that, after such a traumatizing experience, they would want to part that quickly. They had just lost Popoie and I'm thinking that they wouldn't want to part ways so very soon.

4) Ages- While I played the game, I believed that Randi, Purim, and Dyluck were about the same age -ohhhh, say seventeen. I'm maintaining that thought.

5) Names- I may have changed some, but not dramatically.

6) Mana- If you have not played SoM, you should probably know that Mana is basically a good thing. In regard to the "Mana Fortress" and the "Mana Beast," however, this substance of life is seen as a bad thing. The Mana Fortress was made as a weapon of war. It worked by draining Mana and shooting that power down at enemy countries in order to annihilate them. The gods who protect Mana created the Mana Beast (aka HUGE, mean-looking flying dragon) to destroy the Mana Fortress. The only problem was that any beast mean and mighty enough to destroy the Mana Fortress would only go on to destroy the rest of the world. (Go figure. I don't understand it, either, but hey, I'm just a mortal.) Lucky for life, Mana itself forged a sword so that a chosen Mana Knight could get rid of the Fortress (and the Beast). Serin, the former and deceased Mana Knight, also known as Randi's father, had used the Holy Sword/Mana Sword to sink the Mana Fortress before the Mana Beast attacked. Randi, Purim, and Popoie, in the most recent war, destroyed both the Fortress and the Beast. Understand? Good.

Disclaimer for the story:

Dilandau: Why are you doing this!!!

Sayermyst: *dangling flame-thrower out of reach* Because we're waiting for Van. Now say it!

Dilandau: No! Give it back! NOW!

Sayermyst: Tsktsk. Such temper. Now say it.

Dilandau: ...The Secret of Mana belongs to...to...Squaresoft...uh... I mean *glares at Sayermyst* ... to...Gahh! *breaks down and cries* I can't do it! 

Sayermyst: *sigh* Fine. Then say _whatever kind words lay in your heart._

Dilandau: *blinks* What are you talking about?

Sayermyst: *squints eye meaningfully* Come on, Dilandau. Say _whatever kind words lay in your heart._

Dilandau: Huh? I don't have any kindness- ohhhhh. That's a code for-

Sayermyst: Just say it!

Dilandau: *turning to audience* Please review this touching story.

Sayermyst: Awwwww, you're so sweet! *hands over the flame-thrower*

Dilandau: Yes! *narrows eyes and points flame-thrower at Sayermyst*

Sayermyst: *pulls out another flame-thrower* Yeah, right, Dilandau. No flames.

Dilandau: Torching?

Sayermyst: Mmmmm...let's take this outside, shall we? 

(In case you're a stickler for proper disclaimers, yes, the Secret of Mana/ Seiken Densetsu II _does_ belong to Squaresoft. Yeesh.) 


	2. The Sickness of Joy

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft,etc

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft,etc.

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The snow of the Mana Beast had ceased to fall. Massive celebrations held place in the Kingdom of Pandora as well as in its multiple factions and allies. Joy swept the countries across the continents, countries populated with people who had feared the destruction of the world. Tension, that sickening captor that had gripped the minds of the people during those last few hours of doom, now burst open as a bloom of elated relief and mirth and thanks. Dark skies became bright once again.

This multitude of gratification was, of course, aimed at the two surviving Mana warriors. Accompanying every step they took, citizens of the Kingdom of Pandora, the Republic of Tasnica, and others who were simply happy to be alive, showered Randi and Purim with gifts and cries of praise. Many lauded them to be the greatest heroes of all time, and set out to interview them. Others performed ballads and wrote poetry concerning their beloved little Sprite warrior, Popoie, the brave soul who had gladly given up his young life in order that peace might be restored. Still others tagged along with the parades and festivals for a chance to lay their eyes upon the feathered White Dragon who had played a crucial role in the survival of civilization. 

Randi looked out the window of the carriage, chuckling. "Would you look at that. Flammie's enjoying every bit of the attention." He turned to Purim, sitting opposite him. "Showing his plumage and crooning at the affection. That big baby has an ego as inflated as any human's." 

Purim gazed out the window, her chin resting on her hand. She remained silent. Yes, she saw Flammie. She saw everything taking place around her, from the acrobats in the square to the gnomes guarding the carriage to the crowd waving as the entourage passed. All of this her eyes observed, but her mind did not fully register. Why were they celebrating? What good news solicited such cheer? People had died amidst the war! Good people! Popoie was gone. Didn't they realize that? That sprite had been like an innocent child, one thrust into a conflict where fighting was required. And through it all Popoie had kept that endearing demeanor of unquestionable naïveté. _" For the world!"_ The sprite's last words, before giving up his Mana to the sword, echoed through Purim's mind. There were other memories, too -just as heart wrenching- that plagued her as would a chronic illness. It hurt the most to know that her love was gone, having died while in her arms. She had cursed herself a million times over for his death. He had been right there in her arms! In her very own arms! Be that as it may, her skill with Undine's magic hadn't been enough to repair the damage that Thanatos had done to his body. Her power with Dyrad had not been strong enough to bring him back. This memory, in particular, knifed through her soul each time she forced herself to relive it. 

__

"Dyluck, you'll be alright, you'll be alright. I'm here. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." She cradled him against her body, smoothing the blond strands off of his forehead, kissing him there. " I won't let you die. You won't die."

"Purim...." He held her hand gently, as firmly as he could with his diminishing strength. "Purim... it's not for you to let happen. I'm dying. My life...it's been drained. I'm taking Thanatos with me, though. He'll never have my body." He smiled weakly at his poor attempt at humor. 

"Fight him, Dyluck. Please." Her whisper was audible only to his ears.

"I've tried, love. But I can't. He won't let go. The demon will die with me, and he still wants to take over. He believes he can possess my body and revive it. I can't let that happen. Please Purim, don't sadden yourself over me. I must die. I must kill Thanatos." 

"No! I've finally found you! You can't leave me! Not now!"

"Randi, take care of Purim, will you?"

Randi nodded. "You have my word." 

"Dyluck, don't. I love you. Fight Thanatos. Drain my life energy. Do whatever it takes. But don't die!"

Dyluck gripped her hand a bit more firmly and then let his fall to the cold floor. It was the last time Purim was gifted with the eternal sea-blue of his eyes. " Purim...listen to me. I want you to live on. I know you can save this world. Live happily." He gasped at the pain of his deteriorating body. " Purim, I love you." His eyes drifted shut.

"Purim?"

Purim bolted into an upright position on the cushioned seat, jolted out of her nightmare. She felt surprised when she looked down to find Randi's hand upon her own. His comforting gesture chased away a bit of the chill that had settled on her soul. Glancing up at his face, she could see the blatant worry etched upon his features. 

"You're as cold as ice." Randi frowned. "And it's not exactly that chilly in Kakkara." He took both of her hands within his own and rapidly rubbed his palms over them. 

Purim knew what he was saying. Unfortunately, he had become such a good friend over the course of their travels together that he probably knew what she had just been thinking about. His comment obviously came as a warning, albeit a sarcastic one. Kakkara was _the_ hottest city in the world. It had been a damn hot desert when the three Mana warriors had come to find the Fire Seed, and it was a damn hot desert now.

"Hey," he cajoled, still warming her hands, "come on. Enjoy the festival. They're cheering for you."

"They shouldn't be cheering at all," she stated flatly. Her heart was still in mourning. Why wasn't everyone else's? Were they really that shallow? Or perhaps...or perhaps they were so shaken and so tentative over their hold on security that they had to laugh at their fears with overly enthusiastic celebrations.... She didn't know, but this city was saturated with happiness that she couldn't stand. " I need to get away from here."

Randi paused his ministrations. "What?"

"I need to get away from here. This place is making me sick." She pulled her hands away from his, reaching inside her pocket to find the item she sought. When she did reveal what she was planning to use, Randi became incredulous.

"Wait. Now? You want to go now? In the middle of a parade? A parade in which, if I may remind you, both of us are currently participating?" 

" You don't have to come, " she said, focusing on escaping the carriage. She swung open the door of the moving vehicle and prepared to jump.

"No, wait!" He attempted to grab her around the waist but instead ended up lurching out the door and onto the road. After shaking his head to recover his senses, he got to his feet to see that Purim was already twirling the Flammie Drum. Only seconds elapsed before, in front of astonished onlookers, the feathered dragon landed gracefully in front of Purim. "Uh...she's sick, " Randi mumbled by way of an explanation, and hurriedly chased after her. "Purim! Hold on! I'm coming!"

Purim sighed impatiently as he clamored onto Flammie to finally seat himself behind her. She pat Flammie to signal ascent. The dragon chirped once and unfolded its wings, swooping them in several beats until they were among the clouds, away from any other human eyes. 

For moments they seemed to fly around aimlessly, what with Flammie smoothly diving and twisting while playing with the white puffs. There was a time, not so long ago, when Randi would have reined in the frisky beast to concentrate on their destination, but now he couldn't help but savor the close contact with his best friend, Purim. Out of habit, he placed his arms securely around her waist. The action had been established during the first few flights on Flammie, when the three Mana warriors discovered that only the person at the front could grasp at Flammie's mop of a mane for security; anyone who sat behind the first person was well-advised to cling to the one sitting in front of him or her. Simply a safety precaution. "_Yeah, right," _Randi's conscience butt in. Try as he might to squelch the thought, Randi knew he would be lying to himself if he denied having more than a strong, friendly relationship with Purim. He had been aware of his attraction to her the day he met her. Sure, it had been one of the most embarrassing moments in his life –having to be rescued from turning into Goblin dinner-, but he wouldn't be a man if he had not been beguiled by her physical beauty. However, as they had fought together, talked together, and faced great sadness together, he had found that her beauty was so much more than skin-deep. Especially when it came to love. He didn't know when it had happened, whether it was during their travels in general or when he had watched her hold Dyluck, but somewhere along the way he had developed emotions towards her that surpassed anything he had ever felt. That was why the promise he had made to Dyluck had slipped from his mouth as if he had sworn it a million times before. On numerous occasions he had contemplated the reasons for why his heart sang and simultaneously ached in Purim's presence, and more than once the concept of "love" came up as the answer. But to love someone who could never reciprocate? That would be pure foolishness, and Randi just couldn't picture himself playing the fool. No, a good friend he was, and a good friend he would remain.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, holding her more closely for the sake of dispelling the damnable chill that always settled on her nowadays. " So..." he queried tentatively, "where are we going?" 

Purim glanced at him sideways, a little smile whisking across her face at his teasing behavior. Then she faced forward again, a glazed expression alighting itself on her features. " To Mandala."

Randi didn't ask why she wanted to go to the tiny mountain village. If Mandala was where Purim needed to go to heal herself, then he would gladly follow. "To Mandala, then." He felt Flammie respond to the light touch of Purim's heels guiding the dragon. 

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	3. Dark Request

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft,etc 

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft,etc 

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Flammie glided onto the border of the village and fidgeted while its two "parents" leapt to the ground. Then, chirping again, the adolescent dragon gathered the wind beneath its wings and sped off into the sky in search of recreation. 

"I'll...I'll go rent the room at the inn," Randi offered for lack of anything else to do. He sensed that Purim needed time to herself.

Purim watched as Randi disappeared around a corner, relieved at not having to put on a good face for his sake, for anyone's sake. She was too tired. Her memories were eating at her, but she didn't care. She just needed to be left alone, and on a spur of thought this had seemed like the best place to be; Mandala was only a short walk from the Palace of Shadow.

She took the peripheral route around the village, avoiding any enthusiastic party-goers who would be interested in talking to her. Once out of Mandala, merely minutes passed before she arrived at the entrance to a deeply hidden cave. At first glance, it would appear that nothing was there, but Purim parted the dense foliage with her hand and stepped inside. Since Dyluck had passed away and she had played her part as a Mana warrior, Purim had had no real goals in her life; she latched onto the obscure destination. She walked as if in a trance, not needing light, welcoming the shadows. Time blurred, and she knew not if minutes or hours passed as she just walked, one foot in front of the other. The only sound was the light pat-pat of her footsteps. So focused was she that she didn't notice the fact that no echo resounded throughout the cavern. The shadows swallowed them up.

Eventually a blue glow shone in the near distance, a faint light which she kept her sight trained upon. A few more strides brought her out of pitch darkness and into a high-vaulted, eerily spacious room: the Palace of Shadows. Nothing had changed, for the home of the elemental, Shade, was just as she remembered. Silver coated everything, from the floors to the ceiling, lending an atmosphere of elegance and brooding with an untouchable iciness. Large chalices, built in a wide circle to surround the Shadow Mana Seed, contained blue flames with streaks of white. Still, though these flames were the only visible signs of movement, they, too, appeared cold, as if they could freeze any soul who dared touch them. 

That's what she wanted to do. Freeze. Stop the pain. Rid herself of feelings that she couldn't force herself to be rid of. As she walked toward the elevated Mana Seed on its polished silver pyramid, she let her fingers trail over one of the flames, and they came away numb. She didn't heed them, but continued walking until she had climbed the stairs and reached the Seed. Placing her still-warm hand on the large Seed, she felt a dark sense of belonging. "Yes, " she whispered. "I knew it would feel right being here."

"_Mana warrior?"_

Purim was a bit startled at the voice that entered her mind, but she recognized it immediately and closed her eyes. "_Shade."_

"Why are you here again, Mana warrior? I gave my gifts to the Sprite. "

Purim smiled slightly. _"Yes, you did."_

There was a pause as Shade contemplated something. Then the elemental spoke again. _"You are Lumina's chosen. You are of Light. Why, then, are you darker now? You are sad?"_

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Shade. It just...feels so right here."

Another pause. _"I see your memories, the cause of your darkness. I am very attracted to them, you see."_

Purim opened her eyes. _"Show me them, Shade. Show me my memories."_

"You can see them already."

" I want to see them in front of me."

"This is your wish?"

"It is. Show me my pain."

Shade asked no more. Blue light swirled in front of her eyes, just above the Mana Seed, and then the substance spread to reveal a scene. Her love's beautiful face appeared. Dyluck died all over again, and tears trickled silently from her eyes. She swiped at them with the back of her hand. "What else do you know, Shade?"

_"I know everything of the shadows."_

"Then show me, Shade. Show me who else suffered and died during this war. Show me people whose hurt the world never knew of."

The screen swirled and opened upon another scene. The first sound Purim heard was that of soft weeping. Then she saw a red-haired young woman dressed in a suit of commander's rank. She knelt before the body of a man who was dressed in a similar uniform, but it was spotted with blood. His beautiful face was covered with cuts, and strands of his straight purple hair clung to the sweat on his brow. He coughed, but smiled up at the woman. " We couldn't have fought for the wrong side, right?"

The woman clutched at his hand tightly. She choked out a sad laugh. "No. No, of course not."

He went on, searching for atonement for his part in the war. "I mean... King Vandole...didn't mind that I was a Shapeshifter. He didn't mind that I was a monster...."

"Don't say that. You are _not _a monster. You never have been."

"My darling Fahna...." 

"Not you too. Geshtar's already gone. Don't you go, too, Sheex. Don't leave me alone!" Her body was racked with sobs. Then she bent her head and kissed his pale knuckles, whispering fiercely. " I _will_ avenge you, Sheex. I will avenge you both. I promise."

The blue swirled the scene. Purim knelt on the cold stone, stunned. Fahna didn't keep her promise, Purim knew; the Mana warriors had killed her.

_"You wish to see more?"_

If the world wouldn't stop its foolish celebration and mourn, then at least she would weep sorrow for those lost. "I-."

"Purim!" 

_"The Mana Knight."_

She turned towards the doorway, seeing the orange-yellow light of a torch. It hurt her eyes, for they had become accustomed to the soft blue glow of the temple. Her hand reflexively shielded the glare from her sight. Her mind was not as quick to react, and didn't realize who the keeper of the torch was until he pulled her hand down and scrutinized her face. "Randi...."

"Purim, are you alright?" He traced her face, assuring himself that it was Purim sitting in front of him. He couldn't be too sure of his sanity at the moment, having searched frantically for her for the last couple of hours, hoping to Mana that she hadn't thrown herself off a cliff. He brushed away her bangs and felt her forehead. His small gasp couldn't be stifled as his hand automatically jumped away. "You're...you're freezing!" 

Purim stared up at him with glazed eyes, not quite comprehending a word he said. She was vaguely aware of being lifted by a strong pair of arms. It felt natural to wrap her own arms around his neck and bury her face within the folds of his shirt. "Sweetheart, don't fall asleep on me yet. I can't carry both you and the torch. I need you to call light." In the recesses of Purim's sub-conscience mind, something of what he said registered, and a tiny ball of white light appeared in front of Randi. "Thank you." He looked up at the dark ceiling. " Sorry, Shade, but I'll have to leave the torch here."

_"You helped save the elementals. Such a trivial matter can be easily forgiven." _

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	4. Dream of Life

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

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Randi kept vigil over his friend, praying to his mother, the Mana Tree, that Purim would be okay. Just the thought of her dying sent shivers through his body and caused his heart to compress painfully. Her cold skin and the expression he had seen on her face in the Palace of Shadows scared him so much that he shook. His fear confused him, seeing as he had never had to still his own shaking hands before, not while conquering the Trials of the Mana Forest nor even when he faced the Mana Beast, wielding the only sword that could keep it from destroying the world. Now, he gripped his hands together tightly, kneeling by her bedside. And he just kept praying....

While Purim slept.

There were two planes made of cumulus clouds, each stretching out as far as the eye could see. One plane of clouds was a brilliant white, and the other so black that shadows could not be seen upon them. She was between them. Flammie managed to maintain the same position underneath her, never moving from in between the planes, its steady beat of wings emulating her heartbeat. Dyluck was there, too, and she looked down at their hands to see that they both wore yellow-gold bands on the ring fingers of their left hands, and that those rings were connected by a long thin chain of the same color. Suddenly Dyluck started to slip into the plane of the white clouds. Purim tried to capture his hands, but to no avail. The only object that kept him from entirely sinking into the white clouds was the thin gold chain. Smiling gently and saying not a word, Dyluck slipped the ring from his finger with his other hand. Before he let go of it, he pointed behind Purim with distinct emphasis. Then he drifted into the clouds and out of sight. Purim cried out his name, not caring if she fell off of Flammie in the process of falling after Dyluck. Instead, however, she was falling into the plane of black clouds, and began to feel the cold that one feels when one has stood out in a thunderstorm for far too long with hardly any protection. This was it, then. No one to pull her up now that Dyluck was gone. It was at this moment of despair that she felt a tug on her hand, or more precisely, her left ring finger. By some sense she glanced at her right wrist to see that the yellow-gold rings and chain had become a bracelet, and when she looked at her left hand she saw a white-gold ring now around her ring finger, with a thin matching chain attached to it. A hand –a masculine hand- pushed through the darkness and grasped her left hand, pulling her up swiftly and back onto Flammie. The man wore the twin of her white-gold ring. Why was she connected to someone else? She didn't want to be, surely. Never would she betray Dyluck. Never. For some reason, though, she didn't push the man away... because it felt good to feel good again. To feel love dispel some of the bleakness that had occupied her heart was a treasure that she didn't want to give up. "You're not dead," the man whispered softly, his breath tickling her near the base of her ear. "You're alive. I'm holding onto you as tightly as I can, so you won't slip away." There was familiarity in that voice. When she turned to see the identity of her rescuer, she knew why. Randi.

She gasped, her eyes opening. A few streaks of sunlight crept in through the window, her gaze following the wispy rays over her bed and onto the Mana Knight. He appeared to be an angel in his sleep –a very worried angel, if his furrowed brow was any indication- but an angel nonetheless. That thought made her laugh. Randi? An angel? Ha! Every aspect she had seen of him during their travels cried the contrary of that notion. Quite often she had seen his debonair side when he had smooth-talked his way into acquiring the newest pieces of armor at a "reasonable" price or when he conversed with royalty and military allies. And then, of course, there was the teasing Randi with his weird humor, such as the time when he had laughed at how they had almost been crushed in between a moving wall and one covered with spikes. She never really had figured out if that was his way of dealing with fear or if he genuinely found dangerous experiences to be funny. Another side of Randi's personality, one which Purim found adorable, was when he pouted. Yes, pouted. Whenever a plan wasn't pulled off with complete success or a mission went awry, he would glare at nothingness and stick his lower lip out ever so slightly, crossing his arms in consternation. The first time she had seen that expression she had thought, "_I know **tons** of friends who would go after him."_ Not that he knew that he pouted. He probably believed he was nearly invincible, placing overwhelming faithfulness in the ideal that he was on the good side and that the good side _always_ concluded the battle victoriously. None of his traits resembled an angel at all. The closest aspect of him that she could relate to being otherworldly was when he battled, during which time she could truthfully call him a God of Death. Taciturn and deadly, he fixed his glare upon his foe, heralding the end of his enemy's life. 

But he _did_ look like an angel now, what with a silky brown lock wisped across his face. So she could add a new side of Randi to her mental list: Randi the Angel.

The sunlight was streaming in more brightly now. Purim watched Randi's eyes open groggily, amused. He didn't seem to realize where he was and blinked a few times in disorientation.

" Have you been kneeling there all night?"

His attention snapped up to her face, and he stumbled to his feet. "Purim, you're alive!" With that he promptly enveloped her in a gladdening hug. 

She squeezed him back with equal enthusiasm and laughed. "What, you thought I was dead?" She sobered a bit. "Sorry to worry you...."

"Ah, no problem," he said cheerfully. "You're fine now." He released her and then immediately plopped onto the parallel bed. "Oh! Ow! Cramp! Ugh." He rubbed his knees vivaciously.

" Are you...alright?" But as she asked him a small smile crept on her face at the comical sight.

"Oh, so you think that this is funny?" He raised an eyebrow, even though he, too, couldn't keep from grinning. Why hadn't he bruised his knees earlier? It was a relief to finally see her smile after so long. He decided to leave his questions about what she had been doing in the Shadow Temple for a later time. " Hey, I have an idea...." He finished stretching his legs. " Why don't we go for a ride on Flammie?"

_Flammie. In the clouds. Falling...._Purim's dream resurfaced with surprising clarity, causing her to glance down at her ring finger. Nothing there. A dream was simply a dream, some concoction of her dazed mind.

" Purim?" Randi didn't know what he had said to make her smile vanish, and he regretted whatever he had done. "Look, it was just a suggestion. We don't have to go if you don't want to...."

"What?" Purim snapped from her musings. "Oh, no, Randi." Her smile had returned. " I was...confused over what you said. We go riding on Flammie all the time."

"No," he corrected, smirking. " We _travel _on Flammie all the time. I was talking about stunt flying. For fun."

_Stunt flying? For fun?_ Was this one of his weird humor jokes? "I'm...not sure that's such a good idea...."

"C'mon. It'll be good for you. You need some excitement in your life."

At that remark Purim raised an eyebrow. "_What?"_

"Ah...I mean, excitement without having to worry about dying."

This time louder and more incredulous. _"What?"_ He didn't think that falling from an airborne dragon could be a cause of death?

Randi chuckled to himself. "Okay," he started again. "Let me rephrase that. We'll have danger and excitement without having to worry about monsters chasing us and having a Mana Fortress to chase."

Purim looked at him warily, still refusing to get out of bed. "I think I've had enough danger in my life as it is."

"Oh, don't worry about falling. I'll be holding you as tightly as I can, so you won't slip away." 

She wasn't sure whether or not his words were said in all solemnity or whether they were teasingly meant to reassure her and lighten her mood. But the phrases struck another chord in her memory from that same dream. She didn't know if being with her friend Randi was actually as heart-lifting as it was in her dream, but if it was...? Already she felt guilty, knowing that her mind should be on Dyluck, but what if being close to Randi was as good as it had seemed in her dream? After all, he _was_ just a caring friend, and he _did _seem to be happiest when she was. Surely a few hours of frivolity would do no harm, especially if it was done with the well-being of her dear friend in mind.... 

"So... does that weird expression on your face mean a 'yes'?"

She looked at him, from his sherry eyes to his mussed brown hair, which his bandanna did nothing to keep in order. "Yes."

"Great! I'll see you outside in a bit."

Afterwards, she told herself, she would spend the rest of her life properly mourning Dyluck.

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	5. One Day in the Sun

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

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By the time Purim had finished with her toiletries and eaten breakfast, Randi had already used the tiny drum to summon Flammie, and both of he and the dragon were being hounded for autographs. Randi, seeming just a tad bashful, signed anything the villagers put in front of him with expedience. Flammie, on the other hand, took great flourish in leaving an impression of its paw in front of different houses. When the crowd spotted Purim exit the inn, she too, began drawing a flock. 

Sensing Purim's unease, Randi reached her and addressed the people. "Sorry everyone, but we really do have to go." He grinned charismaticly. "You know, " he said, quirking an eyebrow, "we have..._plans_... for the day." The villagers laughed good-naturedly. 

"_Randi!"_ Purim hissed as he followed her up onto the dragon.

"What?" His expression was one of pure innocence, disregarding the twinkle in his eyes, of course.

Purim rolled her eyes, and Randi wrapped his arms around her waist as he usually did. Flammie knew that they were ready to fly and beat its wings until Mandala could no longer be seen from above. 

"Now what?" Purim asked. Flammie was pawing at a cloud.

"Now," Randi explained, " we let Flammie take over. Go ahead Flammie! Show us what you've got!" Flammie, though not fully comprehending the exact words, did understand Randi's tone. Happily shrilling, the white dragon sped upwards at such a rate that the clouds clashed together in its wake and both of the Mana warriors yelped in surprise. Purim had never clung so tightly onto Flammie's mane and Randi had never clung so tightly onto Purim. By the time Flammie reached a height where stars could be seen, however, they were both laughing giddily. The dragon then executed several rapid somersaults and wound itself up into circles. 

"Having fun?" Randi laughed as she slammed back into him.

The dizziness was intoxicating. " Yes! I never knew-" she was slammed back into Randi again "- that Flammie could do this!"

He grinned. "Heh. Neither did I."

Flammie stopped flying in circles and spun its whole body around so that its passengers were upside-down for a brief second. Purim thought she was secure until Flammie righted its position and she felt herself slipping off. "Randi!" she cried. But even as she fell from Flammie's back, Randi kept his arms around her waist and fell off with her. _Great! Now Randi would die because of her!_ And though he never loosened his hold on her, for some reason she couldn't fathom, he was laughing like a maniac!

"Randi!" she yelled as the wind rushed past them. "Now is not the time for your weird humor! I just want to say...." Just as she was about to say goodbye, they hit something.

"Oh, my butt!" Randi exclaimed, scrunching up his face. 

It took a few breaths for Purim to realize that they were again flying on Flammie. She grabbed the dragon's mane and turned her head to look at Randi. " Are you okay?" After all, he _had_ taken the force of the impact.

"I'm fine," Randi said. " My behind's a little sore, that's all." He winked.

Purim gaped at his flippant manner. They could have been splattered all over the land by now!

Randi laughed at her shocked expression. "What? You didn't really think Flammie would let his wingless "parents" die, did you? And besides that, we've fallen down deep pits many times before." Flammie obviously felt a little tired out and only glided around where the wind current made it easiest. Randi elaborated. " Like that time when we faced that creepy moving wall. Or when we were deceived by Emperor Vandole."

Now that Purim pondered what he said, her thoughts of dying did seem paranoid. "It's just that I had this dream...."

" Oh, really? What about?"

She was about to tell him, but something inside her said that doing so would only dampen the good mood. Instead, she pushed the dream away. " I... I don't remember."

Randi could tell that she was hiding something, and she most likely did remember her dream. He let it slide. There was no way he was going to ruin the day by bugging her about it, especially if she didn't want the mood broken either. "Well," he said after a moment, "time for our picnic!"

"What?" Purim's eyes widened. Then she blinked a couple of times. "What are you talking about?"

"Yep, you heard me. A picnic. I've got a securely tied satchel of food attached to Flammie's hind. And don't look at me like that. Surely you've been on a picnic before?"

" Well... no. Nobility never actually go on picnics. Just castle balls and such." She wasn't intimidated in the least at the prospect of going on a picnic. It was just that... picnicking, she had heard, was something people did when they were happy, and she didn't know if she would feel right being happy. But perhaps, for Randi's happiness, she could this once....

" Well, I'll be glad to escort you on your first picnic, milady," he said, imitating the speech of a refined gentleman. "Now, I know a spot where my neighbors in Potos always used to invite everyone, but I was thinking that we could be a bit more original.... Perhaps near Luna's palace, or in Gaia's Navel. What say you?"

Purim thought of having a leisurely meal near the moon elemental's palace. It would be serene, without a doubt, but there was always a loneliness surrounding the place. Personally, she didn't want to be eating with stars all around her, above and below. Gaia's Navel, on the other hand, was a quiet enough location, but sunny at the same time. And she had always liked its numerous ponds and waterfalls. " Well, if you're leaving the decision up to me... I'd have to choose Gaia's Navel."

"Gaia's Navel it is, then, milady." He turned Flammie in the direction.

Purim slapped his arm lightly, laughing at his pompous impression. "Stop calling me that!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They finished the sumptuous meal with relish, talking about what made them smile. Such as Popoie. Purim was reluctant to speak of the sprite at first, but as Randi recalled all of the antics the little guy had pulled off, she found it easier and easier. Randi didn't mention anything, but he noticed that it was the first time since destroying the Mana Beast and Fortress that she was able to speak of Popoie without falling into depression. 

They were both sitting against a tree, watching the sunset and sipping champagne from glasses (that had somehow survived the tumbling they had been put through), when Purim popped the question. "Randi...you know about my family, or rather, my father. The rest is just the boring life of a "noble" woman.... But, during all of the time we traveled together, you never actually...talked about your childhood. I mean, if your mother was part of the Mana Tree and your father was the Mana Knight, then how did you keep your identity secret while you lived in Potos?"

Randi had dealt with his demons of being orphaned long ago. He didn't mind speaking of it freely. He turned his head towards Purim. "You heard what my mother said, right?" It was a rhetorical question; of course she had heard. All three of the Mana warriors had stood, completely in awe of the grandeur of the Mana Tree as she explained why, in her human form, she had had to abandon baby Randi to a humble man of the obscure village of Potos. There had been no other way to keep him safe until the day he pulled out the Holy Sword. "The truth is," he said, swirling the champagne in the glass with slight wrist rotations, "I didn't know about my true identity until the day I was banished from Potos." 

"Your adoptive father kept it hidden from you for that long?" 

" Well, he _did_ have a son of his own. Elliot. I guess he didn't want him feeling belittled at having a 'brother' who was the son of the Mana Knight." He shrugged. "Of course, the whole village knew that I couldn't have been a real son of the Elder; Elliot and I looked just about as alike as night and day. And Elliot's features couldn't be seen as anything other than those inherited from his father. "

Purim's heart went out to the childhood Randi. He must have grown up being subjected to many curious stares and name-calling. "Did... did your adoptive father treat you well?" She had met the man, after Randi had been un-banished following their victory over the Mana Beast, and he had seemed nice enough.... The problem was, people were often completely different from how they appeared...like her father.

Randi smiled. "Oh, yes. He was as kind as a father could possibly be. In fact, Elliot often got jealous over some imagined incident where he believed his father had favored me over him." He recalled some occasions ruefully. "He had grasped at every chance in which he might humiliate me." 

" I'm sorry." Purim laid her hand over his in a gesture of sympathy.

Randi took a second to savor the feel of her hand over his. Just a moment, before he said, "That's okay. You should see him now- or did you already? I think you did. So eager to please me and practically ready to kiss my feet."

Yes, Purim remembered the person named Elliot. He was a rather chubby young man who, from her observations, wore a different persona with each individual he talked to. She had labeled him a sleaze. 

Randi got up, stretched, and yawned, shaking of his melancholy. "Mmmm, we should probably get back to the Mandala inn...." He placed both of their glasses into the satchel.

"Fireflies...." Purim murmured, as she, too, stood. 

"Huh?" Then Randi saw the bright tiny bugs flying over the pond, blinking their lights lazily and drifting through the night air.

"They were never around when the monsters were here, " she commented, cupping a firefly in her palms and then letting it go. She turned to Randi. "I always used to love these."

Randi caught one, walked over to where Purim was standing by the pond, and released it between their faces. He looked into her eyes as he did so. Purim gazed back at him...for a mere moment, before turning away. Why was this "picnic" starting to feel... romantic? "I remember when Dyluck and I-." She stopped, mid-sentence. Dyluck! During this whole outing with Randi she hadn't once thought of Dyluck; Randi had made her forget her sadness. The thought frightened her thoroughly. To forget Dyluck, even for a few hours, could be the start of forgetting him and their love forever. And she never wanted to forget their love. She had to be careful; she had let her reins on her memories of him loosen, and if she wasn't cautious, they would slip away with time. If she didn't keep his image fresh, then it would start to fade. Next, she wouldn't be able to remember those rare precious moments they had spent together, those times when they had sneaked from the ballroom to steal a few forbidden kisses, or when he had climbed the vines to her balcony in order that he might flatter her with his amateur poetry.

She hugged her arms at the sudden cold.

"Yes, " she said forcefully, backing up a step, away from Randi. " I think we had better get back to the inn."

"Purim?" He tried to determine what her faraway expression meant, and his stomach sank at his guess. _Dyluck._

"Please," she whispered, turning her back to him. "Let's go back to Mandala."

The ride back was made silently, with only the moon and stars to light the way. Randi held Purim closely during the whole trip, desperate to keep his dearest friend from slipping away from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, before they had gotten ready for bed, Randi presented a gift to Purim. Maybe if he could just get her smile to reach her eyes, he would know that she was okay.

She fingered the masterpiece with fascination. "Yeah," Randi smiled. "I knew you'd like it. It may not be as powerful as the Mana glove, but it's a work of art, to be sure."

"It is." She tried it on for size. Perfect fit. "Dyluck taught me how to use the glove...," she said quietly.

Randi sighed and held her hand. "Do you want to talk about it? You know that I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to."

She shook her head 'no'.

He expelled a breath. "I thought you were done mourning Dyluck."

She snatched her hand away. " I'll never stop mourning Dyluck!"

He returned her harsh tone. "If you haven't stopped mourning him, then why did you agree to go out with me?"

"Because you're my friend, and it made _you_ happy!"

" That's a lie! You're lying to insinuate that I was the only one who was happy today. You laughed. You laughed as if your soul was free. And do you know what I think?" She had to hear this. As much as he knew his words were going to hurt her, she had to hear them. Because it was the truth. " I think that you're afraid of being free of the pain!" 

Through a sheen of tears, Purim yelled right back at him. "You don't know what I feel! You've never been in love! You don't know how wrong it feels to have the world celebrate a war that brought so much pain! And did you know that, believe it or not, I am not the only person to feel this way? No no, " she continued derisively. " Our _enemies_ would know how I'm feeling better than you ever could!"

"What?"

"Yes. I'm sure you remember Sheex, don't you?"

Randi narrowed his eyes. "The Empire's spy? The Shapeshifter? The Aegagropilon?"

"Yes, and Geshtar and Fhana. You know," she said cynically, " all of those _enemies_ we killed. Apparently, they were all very close friends. Fhana and Sheex were even in love."

Randi gripped Purim's upper arms, thinking she was hysterical. She just kept staring into his eyes and rambling on. 

" And I saw Fhana crying over Sheex as he was dying! After we had fatally wounded him! I saw them, and I saw Dyluck and I reflected there!"

Randi became increasingly nervous. Where was she pulling all of these ideas from? "Purim, what are you talking about? When did you see Fhana and Sheex?"

"In the Palace of Shadow. Shade showed me their pain and their love. Shade showed me because I asked to see!"

Randi stopped holding her arms and sat back on his bed, across from Purim. He closed his eyes and buried his head in his palms. An elemental never lied. 

" So much for your ideals," Purim spat cruelly. " So much for your 'good side'. If there was love on their side, too, they couldn't have been all that bad, now could they? They were just like you or I, Randi: human beings fighting for what they thought was just. How can the world be celebrating when so many good people on both sides died?"

Randi suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her off of her bed and outside. He was hurting too, having just had his ideals smashed, and anger rose as a defense. Yes, she had proven a point. But she had yet to acknowledge his own. Damnit, she would understand why she shouldn't still be in mourning!

"Randi, let go! You're hurting me!" She tried to twist out of his grasp.

"There's something that you have to see," he growled, jerking her along with him. He was glad that no one was out this time of the night. Purim, not wanting to cause herself embarrassment, refrained from calling out. She did, however, resist Randi's pull every step of the way.

Finally he seemed to have reached the place he sought. "Mandala's Temple of Veedios?" Purim cried incredulously. But why? The only things here were visual records that were salvaged from the ancient civilization before their time. 

" I know you refused to look at these the first time," he said as he took her into the torch-lit chamber," when both Popoie and I viewed them. But now I _insist_ that you look." He touched the smooth surface of one of the viewing podiums. The screen flickered until a scene of utter carnage showed itself. Bodies lay everywhere, mutilated and burned. Wailing sounded from all around whoever had been recording the sight of destruction and total chaos. 'I guess this is...the end,' a voice rasped. 'The end of the world as we know it. Oh, God, save our souls.' Then the screen went blank. One by one Randi took her to view other veedios, all alike in despair and death and suffering. And they all mentioned The End. Purim felt sick and knelt. A single tear dribbled down her face. 

"Do you see now, Purim?" Randi asked, his tone gentle but pleading her to understand. "Now do you see why the world is celebrating? They're happy because they didn't end up like the civilization recorded in these veedios. We weren't all wiped out. At least there _is_ life to go on living." Purim remained still. She was hugging her arms again. He knelt down beside her and cupped her shoulders. "Purim, I know it was cruel to make you view these veedios, but I have to make you understand. I'm afraid that if I can't make you see a reason for living, you'll fade into nothingness."

"Please," she whispered, still huddled in her position, "just leave."

He attempted to look in her eyes once more, but then decided that maybe solitude was the best thing for her at the moment. She needed time to sort everything out. "I'll be waiting at the inn." He got up, heading for the door.

Her voice stopped him. "No," she said. She stood and faced him. " I mean I want you to leave me alone... forever."

Randi was shocked speechless. He tried to laugh. "What...what do you mean?"

" I'm telling you that I don't want to see you again. Leave Mandala. Tonight." Her face was a stone mask. Unreadable.

He wouldn't beg for her forgiveness for doing what he thought was right, so he latched onto the only reason left for him to stay with her. " I can't leave you. I promised Dyluck that I would protect you."

Her expression didn't change. She simply asked him a question. "Randi, what do you think is more important? The body or the soul?"

"... The soul."

"Then protect my soul, Randi. Protect my heart and leave."

He looked at her hard, trying to understand what she was saying but failing miserably. But the way she said it told him that she was desperately pleading for him to grant her wish, and if this was truly what she wanted, if his presence caused her pain, then he could hardly refuse her. He walked out the door, called Flammie, and left. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	6. Return and Seek

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week later, Purim silently thanked Randi for having left her the Flammie Drum outside the Temple of Veedios when he had walked- or rather- flown out of her life. Now she was on her way back to Pandora, her home kingdom. Funny, she thought, that she still hadn't returned to Pandora even after she, Randi, and Popoie had finished off the Mana Beast. Rather, both of the surviving Mana warriors had recuperated in Potos. When Randi and she had begun receiving invitational letters from countries around the world, they had both agreed that it would only be fair if they visited each country in the order that that the countries had contacted them. They never actually had gotten as far as Pandora.

As Purim rested her head on Flammie's neck and let the wind play with her orange-streaked hair, she kept hearing Sage Joch's voice echoing throughout her head. Just a couple of days ago, after having cried herself dry, she had set aside many hours to climb up to the highest cave on the mountain, seeking the ancient and globally revered man. 

"Sage Joch." She had bowed in deference.

The old man had leaned on his staff and smiled at her through his beard. "Why, Purim. It's good to see you again. I trust my lessons proved useful in defeating the Mana Beast and Fortress?"

"They did, Sage."

He had motioned for her to sit on one of the many boulders in his cave. "Please, child. Tell me what is on your mind. I sense great unease in your heart."

She had opened her mouth several times, searching for the right words. " I...yes. It's just that...I don't know how to go about while mourning Dyluck. He was my true love, you see. But I can't just keep traveling the world, putting myself in places were I'm obligated to smile for the people."

"Even in your home kingdom of Pandora? Surely you have understanding friends and neighbors there."

"I'm... not sure if that's such a good idea. My father will only try to marry me off again. But I'll always love Dyluck, now and forever."

Then he had looked at her in such a way that she felt her soul had been bared. "Child. Everyone close to you knows how deep your love for that young man ran. My question is: Was he the only one you loved? Is he the only one you love?" He had laid his ancient palm on her shoulder in support. " I have a feeling that if you go home, you will find many people who love you and whom you love in return."

Purim had spent many days after that pondering his words. After searching deep in her heart, she had found that there were a few people in Pandora whom she loved who might still love her. If they had forgiven her.... Hannah, her friend for more than twelve years, was living in Pandora again. Krissie had mailed Purim informing her that Hannah had soon recovered from her trance once she was far from Thanatos' grasp. And then, perhaps, there was her father. He had loved her when she was a little girl, at least. A rift had come between them, though, when he had tried to marry her to the king of Pandora's nephew. That rift had widened when he and the king had separated her and Dyluck by sending him off on a "witch-hunt", a move that eventually landed him in Thanatos' deadly hands. The actual question was: could she forgive her father for indirectly killing Dyluck? 

She had then considered the alternatives to going back to Pandora. Traveling the world to visit countries seemed too big of a task for her heavy heart. Already the people of Mandala were putting a strain on her. She thought about staying in the Palace of Shadows for the rest of her days, but she didn't think that Shade would appreciate that. 

So in the end, she had decided to go to the Kingdom of Pandora.

Flammie arrived at the small kingdom in no time and returned to the sky as soon as Purim hopped off. 

" Purim?" someone yelled. " Oh my gosh, is that you Purim?" A very enthusiastic Hannah crashed into her with a tight hug. "It is you! I haven't seen you in such a long time! I've missed you so much!" She stood back and perused Purim. "You look...uh...great." 

Purim smiled weakly at her friend's politeness. "You big liar. I look and feel terrible."

" Well, we can't have you like that for long, now can we?" She grabbed Purim's hand and tugged her along. "Come on. We have so much to talk about." With every step Hannah took, her short blue hair bounced. When they reached her cottage, Hannah zipped inside and up to her room with Purim in tow. 

Purim stood idly in the doorway, not sure of what to do or say. She was confused at Hannah's friendly behavior.

"Well, come on," Hannah encouraged, patting her bed. "Sit down."

With much awkwardness, Purim seated herself on the edge of Hannah's bed. All of a sudden she spewed out the speech she had been preparing. " Oh, Hannah. I'm so sorry about what I did to you. I swear I didn't know that you loved Dyluck, too. Truly, I didn't! I just-"

Hannah covered Purim's mouth with her hand, silencing her. "Shhh," she said, laughing gently. She lowered her hand. "Don't worry about it. I forgave you a long time ago...."

Purim suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of thanks wash over her, and she held Hannah close. She thought that she had cried all of her tears away, but apparently there were tears for happiness still in stock. Her friend was taken by surprise at the gesture, but she then hugged back. " Oh, Purim," Hannah said, " you know that you're my best friend. Yes, I hated you for a while, but... but, I simply couldn't hold my anger." She sat back on the bed, looking meaningfully at Purim. " I realized that you hadn't even had an inkling that I loved him." She paused a moment to let Purim wipe her eyes. "Enough about me, though. I know that you must be hurting, Purim. I heard that...that Dyluck died." 

Sadness filled Purim again, and she welcomed it. This was what she was supposed to be feeling. "Yes." 

"I'm so sorry Purim." Hannah took Purim's hand in her own. "I know, probably more than anyone else, just how much you both loved each other." Her words rang true, and Purim was glad that someone was finally saying it with sincerity she knew to be real. They both stayed in that position for a long moment, with Hannah just holding her hand.

From downstairs a voice rang out and a second later the door to Hannah's room burst open. A very muscular young man immediately began loosening the collar of his dress suit. "Hannah! I am _never_ buying clothes with your grandparents ever again! This high collar is completely choking me! Where's my old shirt?" He turned around from closing the door and cut off his speech. "Oh...I-I didn't know that you had a friend over. Um...I'll just.... Hey...." He curiously squinted at Purim. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" 

Hannah looked from the man to Purim and back to the man.

"I don't know...," Purim said slowly.

Hannah got up from the bed and sidled over to the handsome young man, draping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek. Purim was amused to see that he blushed. "Purim," Hannah chirped, "meet my fiance, Sergo. Sergo, Purim, my best friend." 

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," the man said with a nod. "I would...uh...bow, but since this little honeydrop is sticking all over me, I find it difficult." Hannah tweaked his nose in a reprimand.

Sergo, Sergo. Where had Purim heard that name before? "Wait.... Sergo? Were you on the Republic's sandship? You were a... worker, weren't you? You helped us escape confinement when the soldiers locked us up for being supposed spies."

Sergo scratched the back of his head with poorly hidden pride. "Heh. Well, I distracted the guards so that Randi could sneak past. And then he freed you two, so...yeah. I guess I _did_ help you guys escape."

Hannah rolled her eyes affectionately. "He's always so proud about how he used to be a pirate. I mean, he even rambles about how he got captured and became a slave for a while! I swear! His egotism never runs out!"

"I used to be the pirate of all eight seas!" he defended.

"Yes, yes," Hannah conceded, " but now you're a refined gentleman who's studying marketing and trade."

Sergo kissed her on the neck and grumbled. "Are you sure about the 'refined' part?"

Purim looked at them and couldn't help feeling jealous. They radiated total bliss. "Okay you two," she said, pasting on a smile. "I'm going to go downstairs now...."

"Oh, wait Purim!" Hannah exclaimed, disengaging herself from Sergo's arms. "Your father's with my grandparents...."

But Purim had already spotted her father near the foot of the steps, and he had also seen her. Silence reigned as they just looked at each other over the stairs. Her father was much older, by his appearance. He no longer carried a robust attitude about him, and there were bags under his eyes. 

"Purim," he whispered hoarsely as if he wasn't sure he was seeing correctly. She walked down the rest of the stairs and he put his sturdy arms around her, cautiously at first, treating her as he would a fragile object. "Oh, Purim. You're really back?" 

Purim tentatively put her arms around him, unsure of her emotions towards him. "Yes, I'm back."

He ushered her out the door. Hannah's grandmother was blowing her nose in a handkerchief at the touching scene. "You two go ahead, Elman. You need some time alone," she said in between sniffles. Only a quiet few minutes passed before Purim and her father passed through the door of their own home. Purim scanned the bottom floor. Nothing had changed. The couches had been kept in the same positions. Her portrait still hung over the fireplace. She strode over to the painting and only saw a stranger. The girl in casual pants and an elegant blouse was smiling back at her, trying to contain a grin. 

"I'm sorry I chased you away." Her father had stopped to stand behind her. "I never wanted Dyluck to get captured...." He put his hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged it off and turned to face him, looking him in the eyes. "But you wanted to get rid of him, didn't you?" Her father remained silent. "Didn't you!" she demanded.

" I just wanted you to be provided for.... Prince Sallius could have given you everything you ever wanted. Dyluck was just a Major in the military." He reached out to hold her again.

Purim backed away. "But I _loved_ Dyluck, father! I always will. He treated me with respect and taught me anything I wanted to know. He loved me. He's the only man I ever wanted to marry!"

"Purim, I was only looking out for your best interests! Marrying Dyluck would have sullied your noble blood!" 

She felt the pulsing at her temple. "His was the noblest of blood, father! He died for me! He died for us all!" What did a title matter when a couple had love? Their love surpassed all other riches. How could her father possibly be so shallow?

" I _am_ sorry that he died." His tone was softer now...apologetic. 

"Truly?"

"Yes. It hurts me to see you hurting so."

Before he hugged her, she asked him one more question. " And you would let me marry Dyluck if he was still physically alive?" 

Her father halted at that. It took him longer than she would have preferred, but he finally answered, "Yes." Purim sighed, now able to forgive her father. He rocked her back and forth paternally. " But now, at least I know you'll be happy and safe marrying the King of Southtown."

Purim pushed her father away in shock. "_What?_"

Her father actually had the gall to look surprised. "The King of Southtown. I thought that this was what you wanted. The whole court has been talking about how much time the two of you have been spending together and of your inevitable marriage."

Was her father trying to manipulate her into marriage again? Had he been spreading rumors of her supposed marriage as a way to pressure her into actually wedding a stuff-shirted suitor? If he betrayed her yet again, she knew with unfaltering certainty that he would not be able to gain her trust back. "_Who?"_

" Oh, come now, Purim," he said congenially. " You can't tell me that with all the time you've spent with him, you haven't developed certain _feelings_ for the Mana Knight."

All the possibilities speeding through Purim's head promptly crashed, only to be replaced with a whole other batch of flying thoughts. "R-Randi?" she sputtered. Originally, Purim had believed, she would have found the notion of being with Randi for the rest of her life to be humorous. Randi was one of her dearest friends, to be sure. But to be his wife and he her husband? The nobles were truly ludicrous if they thought that two partners-in-fighting could ever fall in love with each other. An amusing joke, she thought. However, all of these things that she spoke in her mind constituted only a think layer of excuses under which a disturbing truth was nested. To be with Randi for her life was an idea she found...comforting. 

But no! She shook her head. She loved Dyluck. Dyluck and she were to spend eternity together. She couldn't leave him alone. Desolate and longing.

"Father." Her hands formed into fists. "I despise these games. What are you talking about? Randi is the Mana Knight, not a king. And I would never marry him, anyway! We're simply very close friends!" The scene of him walking out of her life popped into her mind like a reminder. _Or...at least we _used_ to be friends...._

Elman still appeared bewildered. Then his expression changed to one of sudden understanding. "Oh.... I hadn't realized you'd been in Pandora for only a short while. I guess I should have known that you wouldn't have heard the news yet...."

Purim raised an aloof eyebrow.

Her father continued. "Well, Pandora and Tasnica had both been put in charge of finding a new leader for the Empire that had been corrupted by Emperor Vandole's greed. I mean, _everyone_ was glad that Vandole had perished, but everyone was also grumbling about how difficult it would be to find someone who could keep a watchful eye out for trouble, route out corruption, protect the lands, and be liked by the people. After much bickering, the council finally decided that the Mana Knight was the only logical choice. "

Purim blinked. She tried to take in the information a piece at a time. It was so strange, thinking of Randi as the leader of a country; he had always been the kind, but rough-edged, warrior. King Randi. King Randi. King Randi. She repeated his titled name in her mind, not quite believing that her father's information could be correct. Once, she had pondered what Randi would be if he wasn't busy being the Mana Knight, and she had imagined that he would have made a superb mercenary. "King" had never entered her list of his possible occupations. 

Trying to say something intelligent, lest her father think she was having romantic notions towards Randi, she questioned. "Then...uh...wouldn't Randi actually be an Emperor since he's looking over Southtown, Northtown, and Gold Isle? The whole Empire?"

" Technically, yes, " Elman answered, glad that Purim wasn't glaring daggers at him anymore. He hurried to appease her curiosity so that she might remain in this semi-calm state. "But calling him an Emperor of the Empire would only awaken old hates and conflicts. People want to forget the war and start new lives without constantly being reminded of the formerly dreaded Empire. Southtown, Northtown, and Gold Isle just want to be seen as any other village or city."

"I see...," Purim said slowly. Randi! An Emperor! The thought was dizzying. Why did everything around her seem crazier than it had before the war had ended? She sat on a couch.

" About the marriage..., " Elman began.

"I am not getting married!" 

"Okay." He sat down next to her. "Don't worry; I won't try to force you to wed anyone again." His gentle smile dissipated her anger. "I just wanted to get my facts straight, that's all."

Purim could now officially say that there were two people who loved her and whom she loved in return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	7. Again the Pain

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She entered the castle ballroom fashionably late. Of course, she hadn't been tardy on purpose; it had simply taken her a while to remember all there was to know about attending balls. Her gown, a flowing cerulean blue, proved to be a royal pain to don, even _with_ the help of the maid. Too many laces and hooks and buttons. Then there were the matching heel slippers. She'd had to practice walking in them for a good half-hour before she was sure she wouldn't trip at the castle. Even her hair presented a problem, as the mass of orange-gold locks refused to stay neatly tied with a delicate blue bow. She had had to use a bigger -and black- bow instead. The only article of clothing that hadn't given her any stress was the pair of elbow-high, blue silk gloves.

As she unobtrusively glided down the red carpet to the dancing floor, she asked herself for the hundredth time why she was even going through all this trouble of appearing at the King of Pandora's celebration. _Because the prospect of me attending a party makes Father so incredibly happy. Because I'll do just this one thing for him; he _is_ one of the two people that love me. _ Even so, she had adamantly rejected his idea of going as an available young lady. To that point, she had tied a black mourning band about her upper arm. 

Once Purim reached the floor, she scooted over to the area where people were socializing and basically _not_ dancing. She hadn't had enough time to review dance steps and hoped to avoid any embarrassing blunders. 

"Psst! Purim! Over here!" a voice from behind a pillar called.

Purim peered cautiously around the marble column...and was immediately yanked behind it and into a dimly lit, inconspicuous corner. Purim was about to deliver a blow to the person's face, when she realized the identity of the short-haired blond. "Krissie?" she gasped in disbelief. Krissie was wearing a dress: a soft green gown that complimented her strong-willed features. To anyone else in the room, Krissie's attire might not have been surprising. But Purim had only seen Krissie wear one outfit: camouflage pants with an identically patterned long-sleeved shirt, combat boots, and a bandanna. This young woman had bravely led the Resistance against Emperor Vandole during the war. Purim glanced over Krissie for a second time, not quite believing her eyes. Krissie At War was definitely a huge contrast to Krissie In A Ballroom. She couldn't help but be slightly amused at the other woman's blatant nervousness.

"You have absolutely _no_ idea how glad I am to find you here!" Krissie said in a whisper. "Everyone else is talking about stuff I don't know anything about and care nothing for, I'm not a very good dancer, and I really want to get out of here but am obliged to stay!" 

"Why?"

"Well, you see," she started in the same tone, " the council called for representatives from all the major factions of the former Empire. You know, to help decide who the new leader would be. So, as a respected and polite representative, I'm supposed to look like I enjoy these types of formal parties, these endless rumors random noblewomen keep telling me for no apparent reason, and wearing a dress and slippers! Give me band of rebels with a noble cause to lead any day! At least _those_ don't give me such big headaches." She concluded her release of frustration with a huff and a folding of her arms.

"I...suppose I could tell the king that you're not feeling well...."

Krissie grabbed onto the offer as if it were a lifeline. "Oh, would you? It would look really tacky if I told him myself. I couldn't be _that_ sick if I had the strength to tell him myself, after all. Then he wouldn't believe me about feeling sick and would most likely think that I was insulting him by leaving this cursed ball." Her sigh came out in one big rush. "I'm telling you, polite politics bother me to no end!"

Purim's smile widened at Krissie's long-winded explanation. "Go ahead!" she said, motioning for Krissie to take the passage down the hall. 

"Thanks!" In a flash of green, Krissie disappeared around the corner. After waving to a dancing Hannah, Purim deftly maneuvered her way up to the king's throne and curtsied deferentially to both he and the queen. "Your Highnesses. Krissie of Southtown has asked that I tell you that she was feeling ill and had to retire to her chamber early." 

The king nodded, and then his face lit in recognition. "Why Lady Purim! I am delighted to finally meet Pandora's very own Mana warrior again. I do hope that you don't hold a grudge about your father and I sending off that soldier you seemed quite fond of."

She barely restrained a glare of contempt. And no matter how much etiquette decreed that she excuse the king's behavior, she simply could not bring herself to say, "Oh, that's okay, Your Highness. Think nothing of it." The king, however, took her silence to mean forgiveness, and went on to speak cheerfully. "Unfortunately, my nephew married another noblewoman while you were on your quest. I'm afraid that he thought his betrothed had passed away.... But you are clearly alive and well, Lady Purim, and at least you're moving on with your life; I've heard that you and Sir Randi are going to be wed...." Purim wondered if he deliberately chose to ignore her band of mourning. The king paused and said questioningly, "Where _is_ that young man?"

"He's...gone." Purim informed him. "And we're not getting married."

"Gone?" he said, confused. "Not getting married? Oh...I see. Have you had a little tiff already? Ah, youth."

"No," Purim explained, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "We're not-."

A sudden hush fell over the entire crowd. Purim turned her head to see none other than the Mana Knight himself, Randi. His hair was still mussed, but stylistically so. His usual outfit had been exchanged for a clean, neatly-cut black tuxedo that revealed his trim form. His hands were encased in sleek white gloves. All eyes had stopped upon him when he entered through a side corridor of the castle. 

The Queen of Pandora broke the quiet by standing and clapping enthusiastically. "Pandora, may I present to you the great Mana Knight!" Many people joined in the cheering. Several ladies simpered at his dashing looks. "And," he queen added, just as excitedly, " by my side is the other surviving Mana warrior: Pandora's very own Lady Purim!" The applause became significantly louder. "Now," she finished, sitting down with flourish, "resume the music and dancing!" 

The people began dancing to the new waltz, and Purim spotted Randi making his way up to the king and queen. He was actually here? Her heart pounded at seeing him again after sharing that rather spiteful argument. Not to mention that she had told him to get out of her life forever.... And here he was again, in her home kingdom. Why? And just _what_ had he been telling people? Though she wanted to demand answers from him, she also had the urge to melt into the background to avoid confronting him. Unfortunately, doing so would portray her as rude and cowardly; there was no way to politely migrate to the side before he reached them.

In a few seconds, Randi had spanned the distance between the doorway and the raised dais. To Purim's surprise, he spoke not to the king or queen, but to herself. "My Lady Purim," he said softly, bowing at his waist, "it would be my utmost pleasure if you would join me for a dance." He extended his gloved hand to her.

Purim could hear the queen behind her, clapping encouragingly. Purim looked at his bowed head. What was he doing? His choice of diction in front of the royalty didn't even sound like him at all. "I'm sorry, _King_ Randi, but I'm afraid that I must decline your offer. I haven't danced in so long that I fear I may step on your toes."

At that, Randi looked up at her and grinned, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Don't worry, Purim. I'm not too good myself. Jema just taught me a few days ago." 

The king laughed at her hesitancy. " Go on, young man! Sweep her off her feet!" Purim grit her teeth together; she could hardly back out now. She lightly placed her own gloved hand into Randi's warm one. "I am truly honored, " he said with a twinkle in his eye, and led her out onto the dance floor. Purim placed her other hand on one of his broad shoulders, as was proper, while he rested his other hand on her slim waist. Unwillingly, Purim noticed that she could feel his heat, even through the two layers of clothing they both wore.

For the first couple of rotations, neither said anything. They both wanted to avoid discussing their last parting words. Finally, Purim spoke, not quite looking Randi in the eye. "Randi, this isn't like you at all...."

His chuckle shook his shoulders. "No, I'm guessing it isn't," he said wryly. "But Jema insisted I fix myself up just in case I decided to be the King of Southtown."

They moved gracefully across the dance floor. _And he claimed he didn't dance well!_ Luckily, Purim had regained her rhythm and was able to follow his lead. "Wait," she said, the meaning of his words registering. "You mean you haven't accepted the title yet?"

"Yep," Randi said nonchalantly. In truth, however, this whole business of kingship was weighing heavily on his mind. The council had presented the title to him a week ago, after his arrival, but he had only told them that he would think about it. They were driving him crazy with their daily pestering. He wasn't about to explain the real reason for his hesitancy, though; he needed to sort out his life first. And at the top of his list of priorities was Purim. For an entire week he had stressed over her condition, thinking of going back to Mandala, but then painfully remembering her wish. Now she was with him once again. He spun her around and then brought her close. 

Purim was overcome with a disturbing sensation, then blurt out, "Randi, why are you here?"

Randi missed a step at her sudden question. "Oh," he said, continuing the dance. "Well, Pandora was the next place to visit on the list.... Remember?" 

"Oh." 

Randi looked down at her hidden expression, wondering what she meant by that simple response. Did she detect that his answer wasn't the entire truth? Yes, Pandora _had_ been the next place on the list, but he suspected that other reasoning had brought him instinctively to this kingdom. Purim had been bound to return to her place of birth eventually....

There was lengthy period of silence as they kept on twirling to the lively and sweet flow of the music. "Randi, people are saying that we're going to get married," Purim said quietly, and she tilted her head back to glance at his eyes.

Randi knew what she was asking. "Yes, I know. But I didn't tell them that, I swear!" When she examined his face for lies, she found he was telling her the truth. "I guess that they just think we make a good couple...." _Uhn! _Randi reprimanded himself a second after it slipped out and Purim got that faraway look. _Wrong choice of words! Stupid!_ "Purim? Are you okay?" He slowed his steps due to the fact that she had suddenly gone pale. "Purim?" 

Purim snapped out of her trance and blinked Randi into focus. "I...I'm feeling sick from the...happiness." Her hand slipped from his shoulder.

Randi maintained his hold on her waist and started leading her towards the back doorway. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He tried to stay inconspicuous so that no one would follow them out into the moonlit castle garden. Luckily, none of the exuberant celebrants seemed to notice their hurried exit. 

After spotting a fairly secluded tree, Randi carefully seated Purim underneath its full branches. He felt her forehead. It didn't feel hot. It didn't even feel warm. It was that chill again. "Purim? Do you feel alright? I thought that getting you some fresh air would help, but now you're cold. Maybe we should go back inside...."

"No," Purim said firmly, staying him with a hand on his arm. "I...just want to be left alone out here for a while."

__

No, don't push me away again, Purim. I can help you. I can. "Purim." He sat down beside her, leaning against the tree as he was prone to. "I'm...sorry...so sorry I made you watch those veedios. Seeing all that carnage couldn't have been good for you. I was inconsiderate, not acting at all like a good friend should. I was-."

"That wasn't why I asked you to go!"

Randi was shocked by her fierce interruption. Then he saw her face soften and she covered her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Then...then why did you want me out of your life?"

Purim scrambled to her feet and sobbed one word. One name. "Dyluck!" And though Randi made a grab for her arm to keep her from running off into the darkness, he was left only with her mourning band. Black and bleak. _Of course,_ Randi thought disdainfully. _Always Dyluck. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	8. Offer of Reunion

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purim ran, ignoring the pinch of the slippers on her feet. When she reached her house, she rushed to her room and tore off the blue gown, depositing it in a heap while pulling on her usual clothes. She snatched up the Flammie Drum and stuffed it into her pants pocket. Then she set off running down the dark streets again, heading for the clear area where Flammie could land.

By the time she arrived in the opening, she was gasping for breath. As she was about to twirl the small drum, she paused, seeing the gates of Pandora's Temple Ruins looming ahead of her. The large gargoyle that she had been afraid of as a child still crouched in front of it, gleaming sharply in the moonlight. The whole building beyond the gate seemed to draw her in, and she pocketed the drum as she slowly walked towards it, passing the gargoyle and peering through the wrought-iron bars at the massive dark temple. Memories of her first time in there arose. Thanatos had been using it as his own private headquarters as he put Pandora's people under his spell. She, Randi, and Popoie had traveled through its many dark passages to find Hannah...and had ended up finding both Hannah and Dyluck under his control. Thanatos had transported himself and his two captives away and left the Mana warriors to battle one of his minions.

Now the grounds of the Temple were safely locked behind these two sturdy gates...in the case that evil still lurked there. Purim easily picked the lock with a hairpin. She shoved the gates open and they creaked at their lack of use. After surveying the outside of the Temple for any possible dangers, she strode over to the double doors of the temple itself and pushed at them. These swung open without protest -probably because the hinges were loose- and she stepped inside. Silvery light shone on the faded carpet, allowing Purim to see the decayed bodies of zombies the Mana warriors had killed long ago. Calling a tiny globe of light from her stock of Lumina magic, Purim traveled her way up the many flights of stairs, chose a doorway, and kept walking. The directions to the main room were as fresh in her mind as if she had just fought her way through these halls yesterday. And finally, after winding her way through the mazes as a would a mesmerized ghost, she reached the gloomy and dimly-lit chamber. It was exactly as she recalled it. Exactly; dust hadn't even settled over the marble floor or on the centered dais. 

Purim walked without falter up onto the gleaming dais, overstepping the trap door she knew to be there. Two golden strands lie on the floor. _Dyluck's._ Purim picked them up carefully, setting them gently into her palm. She stared at them, realizing that she hadn't even had anything physical from Dyluck, and then closed her hand around the blond hairs that had just become her most precious possessions. They had gone forgotten when she had seen Thanatos transport himself, Dyluck, and Hannah to another of his locations and Purim hadn't stopped to search for anything that might have fallen from Dyluck; she had thought that Dyluck would be with her forever, that she wouldn't need a piece of him to live on with.

"My dear..., _dear_ child," a dark voice said silkily.

Purim whirled around to see a tall, lean man garbed in black robes, standing at the foot of the dais. He gazed at her with black eyes from beneath black hair. An aura of power surrounded him. She immediately equipped her glove. "Who are you?" she demanded steadily.

The man laughed softly, almost sinisterly. "Why, my dear Purim. Do you not know who I am?"

"Thanatos." It had to be him. He was the only one who played games like this and dressed in such clothes. Obviously he had somehow survived and had found another poor soul's body to possess. "We killed you. Dyluck killed you."

He exhaled an audible breath from his nose, a sign that he found her amusing. "Please, my dear. Do not insult me so by calling me by that dreadful man's name. He was only an inept and greedy person who asked me for immense powers in return for his soul. I granted him his wish, and he still managed to get himself killed." He made a tsking sound. "Ah, his loss. He does suffer so very well, though."

"And you are...?" Purim questioned of the stranger impatiently. An uncomfortable feeling was curling itself in the pit of her stomach.

The robed man dragged his eyes up to her face, smiling slightly. "I feel so close to you already; I believe that you should call me by my real name, Lucifer."

Though the man certainly had the features of what Purim would consider the Devil in human form, sans the horns, she remained skeptic. Yes, the stranger knew her name, but why would the Devil ever come to her? "I don't believe you," she declared, narrowing her eyes.

"No need to be so impolite, my dear Purim. I come offering a gift." He tilted his head a fraction, beckoning to Purim.

She shook her head to clear the evil feeling that emanated from this being. Then she continued glaring at him. " And what gift would the _Devil_ offer that I would ever even think of accepting?"

His gaze pierced her with its intensity, before he said offhandedly, "Dyluck, perhaps." 

Purim's clutch on the golden strands tightened. "What are you talking about?" she grit out through clenched teeth. A hope had lit up in her heart, but she was reluctant to let it live. 

"Do you remember when Dyluck died? The way he gazed into your eyes as he breathed his last? When he told you he had to kill Thanatos, and then told you he loved you?"

"Stop it!" Purim cried, pressing her clenched fists over her ears. It did nothing to stop his words. They penetrated her mind.

"That lovely night, not one, but _two_ souls became mine for all eternity."

She dropped her hands to the floor. When she looked up, she saw that he had moved onto the dais to stand in front of her. "W-what?" 

He stood over her, motionless. "Dyluck is mine, my dear."

"You're lying! You're lying! You bastard! You're lying! Dyluck's in heaven!" She screamed louder and with more pain than she ever had in her life. The Devil stayed as a statue; his eyes didn't even show a reaction. He simply knelt down to her level.

"To the contrary, my dear Purim. The only way he could get that cowardly Thanatos to die was to use his own brightly shining soul to push him into hell. As a consequence, he got stuck down in my home as well."

"Because you won't let him go!" Purim glared accusingly into Lucifer's eyes.

He looked back at her with dark fondness. "My dear, dear Purim. Have you not been listening to a word I have said? I am releasing Dyluck to you."

Purim peered at him, amazed that she was conversing with the Devil and also suspicious. The Devil was evil. He never did anything nice without an ulterior motive...right? "Why?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow in an expression of bafflement at her confusion. "Why? You have become so dark over the past few months that I feel a...shall I say...paternal outlook towards you. You have come to understand the darkness to a depth that few ever reach. I'm simply congratulating you." Her reached out to touch her chin, but his fingers only wisped through her flesh transparently, leaving her face chilled. "Besides," he added," Dyluck does not belong with me, but with you." He stood up and outstretched his hand. "Don't you agree?"

His mellifluous voice invited her to accept what he said. She very much wanted to believe. However, she vacillated between holding her hand out to the Devil himself and declining. What if he was lying? What if he wasn't going to release Dyluck? But she could take that chance, surely, for Dyluck's sake. Besides, she couldn't even technically touch the Devil, and if she could, she was competent in her martial art abilities with the glove.

"If you but take my hand, I can bring him to you. I promise."

Purim lifted her arm and placed her hand within Lucifer's own gloved one. Surprised when she felt his hand close around hers, she jerked. 

"Do not worry. You are already part of the darkness." 

Cold wrapped her and all surroundings faded. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two or so hours had passed since Purim had sprinted off into the shadows, and everyone had returned to their homes quite a while ago. Randi seemed to have rubbed a small hole into the mourning band, having been sliding his fingers over the silk thoughtfully from the time he had last heard the patter of Purim's footsteps. This had to stop, he decided. Her grip on the past was killing her, literally. He could feel it. Cold skin during sunny days and warm evenings simply was not a sign of good health. It was as if death was trying to maintain a permanent hold on her...or that she was unconsciously trying to grasp and maintain a permanent hold on death. Damnit! He wouldn't let her go without a fight. He needed to make her talk about her feelings, search for and find peace, and get on with her life. 

He strolled over to Purim's house at a hurried pace, determined to settle her problems, devising methods to reason them away. He rapped on the wooden door sharply, and before long, he heard a chair scrapped back and then the door was opened. Sir Elman stuck his head out. "It is very late. What do you- Oh! Sir Randi, it's you! I-."

Randi cut him off impatiently. "I need to speak with Purim."

Sir Elman furrowed his brow in confusion. "But, young sir, I thought she was with you."

"Damn," Randi muttered under his breath. He thought it best not to panic Purim's father, though, and pasted on a smile of reassurance. "Oh, she was.... We were just...uh...playing a game and I haven't found her yet." Swiftly, he turned on his heel and started running to the one place where Purim might still be, calling over his shoulder, "Don't worry, Sir Elman! I'll bring her back." _That's a promise. _

By the time he reached the clearing, his breathing was labored and sweat dripped from his brow, making him wish he had worn his bandanna with the tuxedo. Disregarding his body's annoyances as mere trivialities, he ignored them and searched for fresh Flammie tracks in the dirt. There were none. The most recent had to be from at least a day ago. Sighing, he scanned the surrounding forest on the off chance that she might be standing among the trees...or -he swallowed thickly- hanging from one.

Seeing no one, least of all Purim, Randi paced around in a circle for a second, running his hands through his hair excessively and wondering where else she might have gone. From his peripheral vision, the gargoyle seemed to grin mockingly at his situation, and Randi glared right back at the statue. Then he saw it; the open gate. He walked over to it slowly and found a hairpin, a discovery that caused a sinking feeling to lodge in his stomach as he fervently hoped nothing had befallen Purim. _Damn! Damn damn damn!_ A list of likewise expletives spewed through his head. He rushed up to the cursed temple, slammed the door open with his foot so that it fell from its hinges, and, knowing exactly where she had escaped to, ran the path that had been imprinted into his mind nearly a year ago. Head bent, legs pumping, his heart pounding in his ears, everything blurred around him, for all of his thoughts and senses were focused on one image to urge himself faster: that of Purim holding her dying Dyluck. That image that she memorized with crystal clarity would endanger her in this Temple filled with evil. With a heart as despairing as hers, the Prince of Darkness would make easy prey of her soul. 

"Purim!" He skid to a halt as he entered the main chamber. Purim lay on the dais, eyes closed. "Oh, Mana!" Randi choked out. _Don't let this be happening!_ When he brushed his palm along the side of her face, he found that she was so cold that he shivered from the contact. He put his ear to her mouth and barely detected a faint stream of air. With shaking knees, he dropped to the ground beside her, kneeling. "Purim! Purim! Please, _please_ wake up!" he pleaded as he gathered her in his arms, cradling her close so that she might absorb his warmth. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	9. Forever Mourn

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purim opened her eyes to see patches of light shining down through the branches. When she sat up, she saw that she had been lying at the border of a cheerfully green forest; birds chirped lively little tunes, and rabbits nibbled off of the spring grass nearby. Ahead of her there was a meadow so lush with its wildflowers that when a breeze passed by, the blossoms moved in small waves. 

"Purim!" She jumped to her feet when she heard her name echoed across the meadow...and the voice was decidedly male. 

"Dyluck?" Her eyes peered across the ocean of color. Far in the distance, a blond man stood -no, he was running towards her. "Dyluck!" she cried. Tears of happiness streamed down her face as she, too, ran towards her love. She slowed when where almost together, wanting to savor their reunion. He also halted, and gazed into her eyes, smiling his love. "Dyluck, I-I've waited for you for so long....I can't believe you're here again. With me." With her palm flat, she made to put it against his, so that they could twine their hands together as they always did. He did the same.

But their hands never met.

At first they thought that they had touched each other, for it was so warm, but when they found that they couldn't clasp their hands, Purim instinctively looked down. "W-what?" She slid both of her hands across the invisible surface, desperately seeking an opening. "I...I don't understand."

"Hold on, darling. I don't understand it either, but I'm going to knock it down." Dyluck began hitting the wall between them with one fist, then two. Nothing shattered. Nothing crumbled to the ground.

"Dyluck, I'm so close to you and I can't touch you!" Her voice held an edge of hysteria.

He stopped his attack and looked down at her with hurt, and maybe even a little anger, in his eyes. "Purim, you've built up something while I have been gone."

Astonishment shone plainly on her face. "What? No, no never, Dyluck. We'll always be together! My love, always!" 

Dyluck lowered his head, chagrined, and leaned his hand against the wall. " What am I saying? I know that we'll always be the only ones for each other." He smiled gently, stroking her face as if he could feel it through the wall. "Stop your crying now, darling. It's okay. I'm sure that there's a gap in it somewhere." 

"But," she stammered, "how can this...this thing even exist?" Dyluck was _right_ _there_. How could the world be so cruel as to place a wall between them, after being parted for so long? Was this the Devil's trick?

He started walking along the wall, trailing his fingers over its surface and speaking at the same time. "Purim, you forget. My... my physical self is dead. The only way I can be with you is with my soul. We're walking through your mind, darling." He ended the explanation quietly.

Purim continued walking with Dyluck, pressing her own fingers against the invisible structure in a position so she would be touching his hand when they found a gap. _My mind?_ She remained thoroughly confused. _Then why can't I make this wall disappear?_ _There is nothing that I want more than to see and to touch Dyluck. To feel his lips on mine again. To feel his love._ She looked up at his beautiful face, finding pleasure in simply watching him think. He felt her gaze and looked back, a brightening smile upon lips. "Even though we can't touch each other, yet, Purim...it's nice to be able to see you, hear you, again." His features softened. "You have no idea how much I've missed your grin and the sound of your voice. When I was in hell...," his voice became a whisper, "as I suffered, the only thing that kept my hope alive of ever getting out... was the thought of you...."

"Oh Dyluck," she said with a tone of pity, imagining what it must have been like for him. "I mourned you every day, every might. I felt so dead without you." 

Dyluck stopped his rapid pace for a moment and adopted his most serious expression. "You did the right thing, Purim. Your mourning saved me." He pinned his eyes on her again before continuing to walk.

" I never stopped," Purim reiterated, " and I will never stop trying to bring you to me, no matter what anyone in world wants me to do."

Suddenly they both fell a bit towards the wall, or absence of it, and Purim released a cry of joy when looked down to see that her hand was against Dyluck's. Immediately, Dyluck twined his fingers about hers, bringing her into his warm embrace. "I told you that there was a gap in it somewhere," he said as Purim rested her head under his chin, breathing in his own unique smell. They stayed that way for long moments, and Purim savored every second as she found that he was precisely as she remembered. His hair was still gold, his eyes, still the same sea-blue, his smile, his smell, the pitch of his voice, the feel of his body....

"And now," he said, pulling back just a bit, "we can truly be together forever." 

Purim smiled back, not being able to recall a happier time in her life. Then a slight frown replaced it just as Dyluck was bending down to kiss her. He halted when he saw her less-then-jubilant expression. "Purim, what is it?"

"I'm so sorry, Dyluck. I didn't mean to stop; I've been waiting for your kisses for so long. It's just that...."

"What?" he asked again, for he wanted nothing to mar the beauty of their kiss.

" What...what will happen to my physical body?" Her eyes became downcast, for she felt that she really shouldn't be worrying about her bodily self when she had Dyluck. She couldn't help it, though; she was human, after all, and the thought of dying was more than a little disturbing.

The intensity of Dyluck's meaningful look didn't have to be seen to be felt. "Purim, look at me." She did. "Does this feel like death to you?" he questioned while encompassing the sunny meadow with his arm. "We can be here together, for all time, Purim. The body means nothing compared to the soul, remember? Don't leave me, Purim. Please. I'm afraid that if you go, I'll be swallowed back into hell. You can't let me go back there, Purim. You can't. I know that a soldier like me isn't supposed to be afraid of anything, but-."

"Shhh." Purim stopped him from finishing his sentence with a finger over his lips. "I'm sorry that I even asked the question. Don't be afraid, Dyluck. I'll stay here with you." Her eyes fluttered shut. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Randi didn't know how long he sat there, huddling his body around hers. He only knew that her almost inaudible breaths were becoming fewer and farther apart, and that she felt more and more as a frozen statue as time passed. In desperation, he had tried everything he could think of: shaking her, calling, screaming to her until his voice was raw, and he even went as far as to pat her face repeatedly. Nothing worked. The thought of taking her to a physician entered his mind, but he knew that it would do her no good; her ailment was one of the soul. And he was utterly helpless against it.

Two tears dropped onto Purim's face and began to solidify before Randi realized that he was crying. He was shocked to find that the crystalline droplets were his own, for he didn't remember crying in the past, not when Elliot had pulled cruel pranks on him, not when the Potos villagers shunned him with their eyes, not even when Popoie left the world to join his fellow sprites as pure Mana. Now he did, because he had tried everything, and he still couldn't pull Purim's soul out of the lull in which the Devil had put her.

He paused at that thought. _The soul_. Everything that he had tried to bring her back had been, for the most part, physical. The one last chance he had was to call her out with the whole of his own soul. Slowly his lips kissed away the tears he had shed on her face, keeping the rest of them at bay by shutting his eyes. _The eyes reveal the soul, _Randi remembered form an old proverb_ -the kiss captures it._ Then he lowered his lips over hers, pouring his soul into that one gentle kiss....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Forever," Dyluck murmured as their lips met and bonded. Purim felt a sunburst within herself. Like honey, the feeling slowly rushed throughout her being, tantalizing and so sweetly warm. She had never felt a kiss so inviting and as loving as this one. Never, and she cupped his face with her hands to pull him closer, just as his lips caressed her soul.

When she could no longer breath from the duration of their blissful kiss, she released him and gazed at his eyes, only to find that they, too, were shut. 

"I love you," he whispered as his eyes flew open. Purim's drowsy sigh of pleasure and happiness quickly turned into a gasp of shock. The eyes looking into her own with similar amazement were no longer blue, but a sherry brown. 

They were both stunned, and for several seconds said nothing. Randi's breath was shaky and without rhythm when he finally spoke. "Purim?" His pulse became more rapid when he realized that he wasn't hallucinating. "Thank Mana!" he cried and wrapped her in a tight embrace. _You're alive!_

The numbness had finally worn off of Purim. "Randi?" In the next moment Randi found himself flung to the base of the dais by her swift shove. She raved at him from above, the rage cracking her voice in a sound of utter fury and suffering. "How could you? How _could_ you!"

Randi stared up at her in surprise. "W-what?"

Even as tears ran down her cheeks, her steps shook unsteadily with the amount of blinding anger she aimed at him. "You've just made me lose Dyluck! You sent him back into hell!" By the time Purim reached Randi he had gotten to his feet and flicked his gaze around her face, striving to understand what she was saying to him. She clutched her hands into tight, painful fists. "You _killed_ him. _You _killed him this time! When we could have been together forever!" Turning her back to him, she called out into the moonlit chamber, determined to rescue Dyluck. "Lucifeeeer! I want to be with Dyluck! Lucifeeeeer! _Why won't you answer me!_"

Suddenly she was spun back around by Randi. He warned her with the gravest expression she had ever seen -worse, even, than when he had told his fellow Mana warriors that their chance of living through a battle with the Mana Beast was a slim one. "Purim, don't do that! Don't you realize that you're calling the Devil? When I found you, you were almost dead!"

She stepped back forcefully, speaking to him with a voice that carried barely contained emotions."_So what_? Why couldn't I have died with him in the first place? Why couldn't you have died? Why couldn't we all have died? At least then the living wouldn't have to carry on the rest of their days throughout a bleak and meaningless existence!" Once again, a sick dread crept around Randi's heart at hearing those words from Purim. "I don't care if I die," she went on yelling. " _I don't care!_ Don't you understand? I will do _anything _to be with Dyluck!"

He put his hand on her shoulder in yet another effort to cease her disturbing thoughts, but she slid from under his palm. "Don't touch me!" she hissed in a harsh whisper. "You killed Dyluck. I _hate_ you." With those last condemning words, she stalked from the room, leaving Randi to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Sayermyst:... Yes, you have the right to yell at me.


	10. Troubled Hearts Do Search

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft 

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Purim was flying again, and Flammie drifted endlessly with the wind. After seeing Dyluck again and then confronting Randi, she felt worn out and hollow inside...even more than before. No, actually she was more...distanced from herself. A tumult of emotions ached within her heart, but she had become so weary of all of the hurt and indecision. Instead of examining her feelings, she locked them away and concentrated on the only mission that stood out in her mind: rescuing Dyluck. While her eyes scanned the indiscernible horizon between the sea and the stars, she seriously considered circling around and entering Pandora's forbidden temple for the third time, but Randi would surely be there, hindering her deal with the Devil. However, even if Lucifer would not come to her again because of Randi's interference, there had to be a way to release Dyluck from his hellish prison. 

Her mind latched upon the one source of power that was believed to surpass any other. It was what protected the universe and what the Mana warriors had fought to protect. This power was Mana itself.

And where did one go if one wished to be in the overwhelming presence of Mana? To its home, of course, to the Pure Lands, to the remains of the Mana Tree. Mana _must_ help me now, Purim thought. _With its tremendous power, Mana is the only thing that can aid me in freeing Dyluck._ Clinging onto her last hope, she signaled the direction change to Flammie. The dragon swiveled its head back curiously, but obeyed nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had lost her. 

Flammie's fresh prints were easily visible in the dirt, and he knew that this time Purim would not turn to Pandora for solace. 

Randi realized the facts he had previously refused to acknowledge. As he unconsciously crushed the black mourning band in his fist, he cursed himself for being the fool, a fool for falling in love in the first place, and more stupidly, for falling in love with his ex-fellow-Mana-warrior _who was in love with another man._ She always would be, he now knew, but the most pathetic thing of all was that he still loved her so much that it hurt. Oh wait, no; he was worse than a pathetic fool, he corrected derisively. He was the bastard who stole Dyluck away for the second painful time in Purim's life. An unscrupulous murderer. Perhaps that was his rightful title now. True, he hadn't meant to kill or send anyone down into hell; in fact, his intentions had been quite the opposite. When he forced himself to examine the exact reasons for his actions, though, he was hardly innocent. Surely there had to have been a million other ways to utilize his soul in saving hers. But he hadn't bothered to consider them, because somewhere deep inside of him he had wanted to kiss her. He had wanted her to know that he loved her so that she might love him in return. Guilty, he was, on account that his personal wish had shattered the fulfillment of hers.

His love had only caused her more pain, and no matter from which perspective he looked at the situation, there just didn't seem to be a good side to any of it, for in trying to fix her problems, he had made them worse. It seemed like such a long time ago when she had told him to stay out of her life forever, and, of course, he should have listened. If he hadn't brought back memories of her beloved Dyluck by dancing and sitting in the garden with her -tales of Dyluck that she had regaled both he and Popoie with when they were on their quest- then chances were she wouldn't have run off to Pandora's temple. 

All of his misery was augmented by the fact that those three words had somehow slipped out, and she had shown no care for them whatsoever. Indeed, she hated him. _Those_ three words tore him apart. 

Randi's only consolation from the emotions churning inside of his heart was that he had kept her from dying. Sadly, however, that thought also brought him an ache that made him feel like even more of a bastard. Damn his selfishness. He couldn't even find a speck of repentance within himself concerning that kiss. He couldn't deny that he was relieved that Purim was still alive and not with her Dyluck. How cruel could he be that he didn't want her to gain what she most desired? _He didn't deserve to live_.

His rapid pace slowed at that sudden notion. Should he live, now that there was nothing significant to live for? The question felt familiar, somehow. Then it dawned on him that he finally understood exactly what Purim had been going through since she had lost her love. The feeling that he could never be with the person whom he loved was so alien, and yet so completely disheartening; he could identify with Purim's lack of will to live. 

Disoriented, he blinked his surroundings into focus and realized that he had been walking towards Potos, or rather, he felt, towards the small lake from where his whole journey as the Mana Knight had begun. Maybe, with all that the Holy Sword had already helped him accomplish, it would also be able to help him find answers to his life. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The clouds underneath her were thick and forbidding, just as she remembered from the first time the Mana warriors had seen the Pure Lands from above. Actually, one never could see the _land_ beneath all the poisonous cloud coverage, and because the Mana warriors had managed to hold their breath and lay their eyes on the mystical grounds, they were lauded all the more. Now she would have to descend through the stormy mass again. She glanced down warily, a sliver of unease causing the hair to raise on her arms. Then she staunchly shook off the fear and reminded herself why she was going through this unpleasant experience again. _I'm going to free Dyluck, no matter what it takes. _ She would rescue Dyluck or die trying. With resolve, she tightly shut her eyes.

Flammie, being a descendant of creatures immune to Mana's poisons, did not hesitate when it felt Purim tap her heels against its sides to tell the winged creature to descend quickly. Finding this just another playful excursion, a challenge, the dragon dropped from its height, imagining itself a comet, and no matter how much Purim yearned for a gasp of air, she restrained from opening her mouth until she could swear that her lungs were going to burst. It seemed that the whooshing that whistled by her ears would never stop. 

Finally, she mustered the courage and peeked one eye open. Her eye didn't sting; they were through the clouds. Immediately Purim swallowed in the sweet oxygen in large gulps, while simultaneously slowing Flammie so that the dragon would glide over the emerald forest. 

As soon as Purim had inhaled enough air to prevent her from fainting, she scanned the dense lands meticulously, searching for the open patch of ground that once harbored the majestic Mana Tree. _Where is it? Damn you Thanatos! For taking Dyluck's body, I hope you're rotting in hell! If you've also destroyed any chance I might have had at being with him again by having destroyed the Mana Tree, I hope that the Devil pays the most special attention to you, magnifying your pain until your screams can be heard on earth!_ She aimed other sadistic curses towards the deceased evil being, while the nightmare of the past ran through her head. There they had been, all three of the Mana warriors. The Trials of the Mana Forest had not been passed for nothing, they had learned, for standing in the presence and the glory of the Tree was nothing less then the enhancing of the spirit. 

_Mana, where is it?_ _Surely I won't have to go through the Trials again to see it. Not now, I can't handle this now! I **need** to find the Tree!- _Her rush of panicked thoughts ceased when she spotted a towering, ghostly vision in the far distance. It couldn't be...but...but it was. There loomed the Mana Tree, appearing just as she had seen it for the first time. Golden sunlight bathed its lusciously green leaves and branches, and, as could be expected, the Tree emanated total grandeur, peace, and life. She spotted a sudden trail of crimson color originating from among its branches, and was delighted a few seconds later when a graceful flurry of tiny transparent red butterflies whirled around her. Their welcome made her feel comfortingly warm, and she sensed the Tree's beckoning. 

Purim didn't question the Mana Tree's rebirth as Flammie carefully maneuvered down to land by the Tree's wide, vine-laden trunk. She was simply glad that it was back, for its presence would undoubtedly make it easier for Mana to free Dyluck. 

For long moments, time seemed to move in slow, flowing motionsas she could not help but stare at the Tree in awe; the steeple of life-balance was the most magnificent sight to ever be seen. The smallest of the vines that twined about its trunk were wider than Purim was tall, and from her perspective as she craned back her head, the Tree's height was endless, piercing the sky like the truest sovereign of all. Even the atmosphere underneath its full, leafy branches filled one with the magical sense from a fairy tale; golden light spread over the soft grass, leaving no areas in shadow. Purim breathed deeply, savoring her genuinely rekindled hope. If anything in existence could help her save Dyluck, it would be the Mana Tree.

Purpose made her step forward and place a hand against the Tree...only to find that her hand went partially through what she had supposed was a solid surface. She pulled her hand back, aghast, and then realized why the Mana Tree had looked so ghostly. It _was_ a ghost, or, at least, it was a ghost in patches. She backed up to examine the Tree with a more discerning eye, and she detected spots of varying degrees of visibility. Some parts of it were more faded than others. It was as if the Tree was rebuilding itself in little pieces.... 

Purim didn't know what to make of these new complications. Inside, she had only a tenuous hold on her newly awakened hopes, and feared that they could come crashing down at any moment. She felt as if life had played another cruel trick on her, having caused her hopes to bloom with the revival of the Tree, and then send them plummeting by informing her that the Mana Tree was not even well. How could Mana help her when it was obviously busy tending to itself? 

__

Stop it, Purim! she reprimanded herself. _This is no time for loathing the conditions. I was prepared to see the charred remains of the Tree and still hope for the best. Dyluck needs me to concentrate, now. Focus and think!_

"Purim, Purim, Purim. I think I can help once again."

Purim whirled around at that voice and gasped. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	11. Free of Illusions

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crescent moon still hung in the sky when Randi arrived at the grove surrounding the lake. It's light shimmered off of the liquid mirror, causing the moon's iridescent glow to ripple over his face as he looked across the waters at the Sword. 

He remembered when he had been a boy -was it only a year ago?- when he had slipped off of the log that rested at a dizzying height over the lake. He probably should have known better, but his "friends," namely Elliot and Timothy, had goaded him to cross the wet bark. One slip of his foot and down he had crashed. He vaguely recalled Timothy and Elliot running away from the scene, revealing the true nature of their friendship. It had been a miracle that he had survived the fall, seeing as the pressure of the impact should have killed him, but, he guessed, the luck of a Mana Knight must have been with him at the time. After all, shortly following his minute recovery, the spirit of his father had been there to deliver information and tell him to pull out the Sword. Maybe he had watched out for Randi's health. Twisted fate, so to speak. It wouldn't be proper for a Mana Knight to die before his quest was fulfilled, now would it? So, he wondered... was he even supposed to be alive now? He didn't feel like it should be so.....

Randi waded into the lake, his skin feeling the cool lapping of water against his thighs but his brain neglecting to register it. With his fingertips trailing in the water, he treaded silently out to the gleaming blade. After pausing a moment to gaze at the Holy Sword's hidden beauty and solitude, he rested both of his hands over the hilt, one atop the other, and hung his head. Yes... he could feel the aloof stream of power humming through the Sword that lay buried deep in the stone. It accepted him. Of that, Randi was glad, and he knew that he was the only one who could pull out the sacred weapon of Mana. Somehow he had always known this, though, but had sworn never to release the Sword again, not with his job finished. No, he had laid it to rest the day he had returned. By doing so, he had signaled the end to his fighting, questing ways. 

So, what was he to do with his life now? Become King of the former Empire as the council wished of him? How in the hell would he lead an Empire if he couldn't even straighten out his own life? He felt helpless and desolate, alone and deadened. Those were certainly not the traits a recuperating nation needed in a guide. 

He had come to the Sword for guidance himself, for this weapon forged from Mana had been one of the truest companions he had ever known, ranking second only to Popoie and...Purim. He wasn't hoping for much...perhaps just a few wise, telepathic words. Oh, yes -but those had come from his deceased father, and Randi couldn't sense his father's presence enveloping the sword anymore. Everyone had gone to a better place. 

Randi pulled back his hands and wrapped his arms around his midriff. He tried to conjure up some sort of rage, or even disgust, for the Sword that could no longer help him, but only a painful chill thudded away at his mind as sadness weaved a tight knot about the fragments of his heart. _What the hell is wrong with me? Damn! Damn her! And damn him! _But though he continued his mental tirade for a few more moments, the curses fell flat like so many heavy stones. There existed no anger inside of him, only sorrow. Even if he did see Purim ever again in his entire life, she would forever be with Dyluck. Damn! He was so damn hollow that he couldn't even feel bitterness towards the couple! The emptiness just swallowed everything....

Again on instinct, Randi trod up through the brush to finally perch near the log from where he had first fallen. Then he dangled his feet over the edge, leaned against a small boulder, focused his gaze on the waterfall glistening in the moonlight, and reminisced. _Purim in the desert. Purim in the Gold City. Purim in Gaia's Navel. Purim...everywhere. Purim with Flammie and Popoie. Purim the fighter. Purim the friend. Purim amid the fireflies. _Memories and dreams were all that he would ever have. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A strange sensation ran up Purim's body. An ethereal spirit was there. "P-Popoie?"

The sprite child shimmered into visibility, suavely leaning on his ever-present staff. He grinned. "Did'ja miss me?"

"Oh Mana! Popoie! Is it truly you?" She had to be sure that this wasn't just another cruel trick that life was playing on her.

" Well, d'uh, it's me!" He tossed his long red hair haughtily. "You're in the presence of the Mana Tree, remember? I mean, it's actually in a real fixer-upper, you know, what with Thanatos blowing it to bits and all-."

"Popoie! It _is_ you!" No one could babble like Popoie could.

"_Stop!"_ Popoie exclaimed and held up his staff, just before Purim rushed to hug him. She halted. "I wouldn't hug me if I were you," Popoie explained. "You'll fall right through me and fall flat on your face. I'm just made of Mana now, remember? Which means we can't actually touch. It's kinda a cool thing, though, me being transparent, I mean. Look. You know how I always used to accidentally hit my head and lose my memory and then regain it and then lose it all over again? Well, now..." he demonstrated by running through a tree, "that can't happen anymore!" He sobered up a bit when he saw Purim's wistful expression, then walked over to her. "Um...you okay?"

"I'm...fine," Purim said while sniffling once. She didn't want to dampen the sprite's exuberance and swiftly stifled her weepy emotions. When she had control of herself, she knelt down on one knee so she could talk to Popoie face to face. "It's just that I thought that I'd never see you again."

"Huh? Why the heck not? Well, I _do_ live in another world type-thing, but at least I can talk to you by the Mana Tree. There's enough Mana here for you to see me. It took you long enough to get here, though." He grumbled the last words.

" Well, I didn't actually know that you'd be here!" Purim defended herself. Bemused that Popoie could still manage to irritate her, though, even in his after-life, mellowed her temper. "I really would have come sooner if I knew I could find you here," she said in a more level tone.

"Well," he scratched his head in consideration, "I guess you couldn't have known that I've now become the official spokesperson messenger sprite of the Mana Tree. She doesn't really have much for me to do, though...so... I spy on you guys!"

Purim blinked. "What?"

"Yah, yah, yah," he gabbed as he stretched out leisurely onto the golden-hued grass. He folded his hands behind his head. "You guys are always at it. It's driving me nuts." 

"Popoie..." Purim warned.

"I mean, uh...." The sprite sat up and searched for the appropriate phrase. "I just occasionally... _check up_ on you two." His expression lost any hint that he was still being cautious with his words. "And," he added as an afterthought, "I think I liked both of you better _before_ we went to the Mana Fortress. You and Randi were both nice and fairly cheerful. Well, not _cheerful_, but, at least, _okay_ with life. Now you're both so frikin' depressing it's driving me insane. So insane that I'd be dead if I wasn't already. You don't have any idea how frustrating it is not being able to communicate with both of you outside of the Pure Lands."

The little sprite was doing it again. Getting on her nerves. "Popoie," she steamed, "maybe if you had lost one of your best friends and your true love all in one day, you would understand why I'm ' so frikin' ' depressing'!"

"What do you think _dying_ was like for me?" he retorted. Popoie got to his feet and glared up at Purim. "Sure, it's not too bad where I go and what I'm allowed to do with my spirit, but I basically lost _both_ of you. You guys are my bestest friends, and I can't even really be with you!" Seeing as Popoie's temper usually exploded and then settled down, he quickly fell back into a semi-solemn mood. "I can't be there to banter with you guys, or impress my crowds of people who write poems about me, or tease both you when you flirt, or-."

"We do _not_ flirt, and we never have," Purim interjected.

Popoie paused and squinted up at her funnily. "Uh-huh.... Yeah, riiiiight. I remember tons of times when he would tease you and you would blush. Or when he would buy your equipment first, and he would buy you the _newest_ armor, even if it wasn't planned in our budget." He scrunched up his face. "Then you'd be thanking him prettily and all that junk. Ugh. Only way I stayed sane was by bugging you two about all the stuff."

"Popoie!"

"But you do make a cute couple...."

"Randi and I are _not_ a couple. We were good friends. That was it. Popoie, if you weren't a friend I would attempt to hit you. Are you so dense that you haven't realized that I will always love Dyluck? In fact," she spouted with raging contempt, " Randi isn't even my friend anymore. He killed Dyluck and sent him back into hell!"

"Purim!" He clenched his teeth. "Shut up!" 

"Not until you stop uselessly chattering and tell me how I can free Dyluck!" 

"Dyluck is _not_ in hell!" 

Popoie's loudly exclaimed words echoed under and about the Mana Tree, disturbing thousands of the little red butterflies. In the ensuing silence, one of the transparent creatures fluttered onto Purim's shoulder, but she paid it no heed. She was in a slight state of shock at Popoie's outburst.

Purim stared at him with utter confusion. "What are you talking about! I saw him! He told me!"

Popoie shook his head. Sure, he acted rash and maybe just a little annoying and harsh at times, but now he spoke uncharacteristically gently. "Purim, I'm not good at breaking things to people, so...you were tricked."

"You weren' t even there," Purim pointed out while crossing her arms. She wasn't actually doubting Popoie, but she didn't want to think that all of heartache she had gone through in the recent past had all come about because of a lie. 

Popoie nodded sagely. "Yes, I was. I float around and watch over you guys, like I _just told you_. I saw the whole entire thing. I mean, I sensed the evil before you, but I could never have had a chance against _the Devil_! I thought you would be smart, like you always _usually_ are, and run, but nooooooo. The Devil asked you to make a deal and what do you do? You ask, 'Would you like me to sign in blood?'. Come on! What were you thinking? We're talking about the guy that gave Thanatos just a teensy weensy bit of his evil power!" He raised and pounded his staff on the ground for emphasis.

No, it hadn't been a lie! Not when Dyluck had been so very real.... "But...I _felt_ Dyluck, Popoie, and smelled him and touched him. It was him."

"No, that was the Devil. The Mana Tree explained it all to me when I called her for help. She was, and still is, too weak to do anything about it, but she did tell me that the person you saw wasn't Dyluck. It was the Devil, and that if you kissed him, your soul would be his, even if your soul is a good soul. The Devil only looked and acted like Dyluck...because...because...." The red-headed sprite furrowed his brow, trying to remember how the Tree had said it. "Because the Devil was using the figments of the Dyluck in your memories to...uh...imitate Dyluck and lure you into kissing him. Yeah, that's what she said." Pleased that he had fully covered the whole situation, he, too, folded his arms over his chest. 

__

Oh, Mana! What have I done? Truths made themselves known to Purim as Popoie's words sank in. If she and the Devil had been walking through her mind, then the only thing that had separated them had been the wall, representative of a feeling and a person she had tried so hard to ignore. When her soul was about to be taken away, Randi saved her with his kiss....

"I can tell by your face that you think it sucks, too. Now Randi thinks you hate him because you thought that he sent your dead boyfriend into hell. And at the same time, Dyluck has been up in heaven trying to tell you to hook up with Randi. Oi! See what I mean when I say I'm going insane!" 

Purim, who had unconsciously sank down onto the grass, looked at Popoie in disbelief. "How...how do you know, Popoie? I swear, if you're lying...."

Popoie held his hands up in a gesture of innocence. "Me? I've never lied in my life! Well...except when I ripped you guys off... but that's not the same thing!"

"Then what are you talking about?" she said, exasperated. Now Purim was beginning to sound more desperate than before. 

"Er...um...well," the sprite was running a hand through his mass of rumpled hair. " You see, the weird thing about the reality I live in is that I can communicate really freely with the dead, not just the other dead sprites, I mean everyone who's dead. Not that I would ever talk to Thanatos, though. Ugh. I tried to throw a rock a him through the portal to hell, but-."

"Popoie!" 

"Oh, right. As I was saying, I can talk with dead people in heaven or hell -not that ever plan on going to hell- and I've talked to Dyluck a few times...."

"You _what?"_ Her eyes widened considerably.

"Hehe, yep. You were right; he is a nice guy when he's not under an evil sorcerer's spell."

"Popoie...what did he say about me?" She donned her most serious expression, which caused Popoie to become a bit nervous under her gaze.

"Oh, yeah! That's the important part. He's been trying to tell you through some kind of stupid dream that mixed what he's been trying to tell you with what you've been feeling. I told him it wasn't going to work. But, I guess you only have so much to work with when you're dead. Stupid dream ambiguity factor...." He began to grumble under his breath, but stopped when he saw Purim's still deadly solemn visage. "Sorry, um.... Oh, he said he's happy. He said that...that... love abounds where he is now...but on earth it does not, and that when you find it, you should... treasure it and don't deny it. Then he said... what was it? Oh, yeah! He said not to worry about him." Popoie pinched his lips together thoughtfully. "Heh, I guess he really did mean it when he said 'live happily'."

Tears shimmered in Purim's eyes at the message from Dyluck. There was no one there to argue with her, but she had been fighting the battle of broken-hearted love for so long that giving it up seemed strange, and she wasn't quite sure that she could do it. "But," she hesitated, "I'll always love Dyluck...."

Popoie placed one of his small hands on her slumped shoulder in understanding. "Look, Purim, I usually don't spout such sentimental mushiness like this, but... it's okay to keep loving those who have died. It's just important to know that there's someone who still lives and loves you just as much and in the same way."

Her eyes flicked up to Popoie, who quirked a childish smile. The sprite's words triggered a dreamy memory, one that she had disregarded because it had been so fuzzy. Now, however, a single phrase stood out from the rest of her experience in Pandora's Temple with blatant prominence. It was a bold whisper that, during all the turmoil, had somehow been heard, but not listened to. She listened now, and heard Randi's tremulous _I love you._

"Ya, you're thinking about Randi now, I can tell. You should probably go to him." He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. "Yes, go to him now!"

"I'm not sure-."

"Pfht. Yes, you are. You've known for the longest time that you love him!" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Something.... Some... strange, lonely sound jerked Randi from his mind's meanderings. The low melody of the crickets stopped, all for that one call in the twilight. The wolf's howl settled an eerie blanket over the land, drawing out its solitary voice, then never ceasing as it sent its cries to travel the night winds one after the other. Randi listened, not disturbed by the sound, but rather...intrigued by it. The voice seemed familiar, as if it expressed what he felt inside. Most likely the lone wolf howled out of loneliness and, Randi thought, the utter sadness that accompanied the knowledge that people despised the wolf, hated it, even, for what it did and could not help but continue to do. Like him.... 

Except Randi was hated by the one person by whom he most wanted to be loved.

He couldn't help but love her. He couldn't help but keep her from her Dyluck. He would only cause her more pain each time she ever saw him, and her pain would be reflected onto him tenfold. He would never be able to compete with Dyluck, either. A dead man was more powerful in that way, Randi knew, for an honest person who died would always live on in the _cherished_ memories of the people. That person's faults would be forgotten and they would forever be the Peerless One who was lost to Death. Randi didn't stand a chance against the memories in Purim's heart that portrayed Dyluck as the perfect being.

It seemed that he would never be able to tell himself enough just how foolish he had been to humor his silly notions of spending his life with Purim, and suddenly the pain of the doomed welled up inside of him and he released it in a screeching wail, calling out Purim's name. The yearning emptiness ran limitless, though, and he was forced to scream endlessly, over and over again, his voice joining the wolf's. Only his own choppy sobs interspersed the flow of expressed agony. His cries faded out merely because his throat became parched and yelling was no longer physically possible. 

Stumbling to his feet, Randi stepped out slowly onto the log. He halted midway. _This is where it all began._ He turned on the slippery log so that his back was towards the waterfall._ This is where it ends._ Then he spread out his arms, the palms of his hands facing the heavens. _I love you, Purim, fool that I am. I will never hurt you again. _

Closing his eyes, he said his final goodbye by welcoming the eternal sleep, and as in a dream, he leaned back...and let himself fall. The tremendous drop allowed him the time for his last, satisfied thought: _At least this time I'm right._

His body cracked against the surface of the water. He felt rent in a million places. The overwhelming pain alerted him to senses that he had believed to be long dead, and that he hoped would soon die. So he breathed in the cool water, knowing that it could end his pain. 

It did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Sayermyst:....


	12. Amidst the Rays

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_"He's near the Mana Sword, I think," Popoie had said. "Hurry, Purim; I feel something really awful!" _

Purim's heart pounded as she urged Flammie to fly faster. The dragon sensed the urgency that literally vibrated off of its "parent," and it used all of its skills to choose and travel the fastest, most useful air currents. Now, it could feel, was no time to be dallying with the clouds.

_Oh, Mana! What could have befallen him?_ _I can't lose him, not when I've only accepted my feelings for him. Please, he must be okay! He must! _Her attempts at self-reassurance did absolutely nothing to quell the sickening sensation in her gut. Like a telepathic connection to Randi, somehow Purim detected that he was losing his life to a demon. Flashes of Randi battling the Devil with the Mana Sword entered unbidden into her mind. "I'm coming, Randi. I'm coming."

Sunlight began to peek above the horizon as Purim started to recognize the terrain below her. They were nearing Potos, she knew that. She didn't remember the exact location of the Sword's lake, but surely it would be visible soon.... Then there came the faint sound of flowing water. "There, Flammie!" she pointed. The rushing waterfall should have become louder as the dragon and rider approached, but all that Purim could hear was Randi's voice, like a surrounding ghost, repeating the words _I love you_. 

Purim squinted down onto the distant lake, frantically searching out Randi. A cold sweat almost broke out when she didn't see him in the water or on the periphery of the lake, but then she spotted a lone figure, faintly outlined by the weak light, standing on the single log that crossed high above the fairly shallow waters. Instantly she knew it was Randi. But what was he doing on that treacherously high log? Wasn't that how he had nearly died before? Yes, he had told her and Popoie all about his accident, laughing at the incident as if it had been funny. He had even declared that only a stupid man who wanted to die would ever walk across that slippery log of his own free will. 

Now Purim broke out into that cold sweat. _Mana...please let me not have hurt him **that**_ _badly._ Her heart burned inside of her, knowing that that was a futile hope. Randi, though he often put on the facade of the invincible warrior, was, in truth, a caring, sensitive person as a friend. As a man in love.... Purim shuddered at her cruel, oblivious actions. By returning his love with hate in her moment of anger, she had carelessly beaten his soul, broken his heart. In horror, she saw that broken-hearted man fall off of the log in slow motions. She didn't even realize that she screamed out his name, so desperate was she on reaching him. 

Flammie splashed into the waters near the Sword, sending up a spray of droplets that temporarily blocked Purim's view. In seconds, she had slid down into the water and run over to where she had seen, had _heard_, the smack of Randi's body onto the lake. He was there, floating underneath the water, his eyes closed and looking as lifeless as Dyluck had been when he had died. Purim damned the overwhelming fear that caused her body to shake as she dragged Randi's still form to the bank. 

"Live! Randi, live! You must!" And then softly, "Please...." Her lower lip trembled and tears spilled from her eyes as she put her ear to Randi's mouth. He wasn't breathing. Quickly she opened his collar and unbuttoned his shirt, praying to the elemental of miraculous revivals, Dryad, that he wasn't gone. "No," she whispered fiercely as she placed her hands together on his chest and pushed rhythmically. "No, no, no." She alternated her actions between trying to breathe life into him and trying to force the water out of his lungs. "Randi, breathe!" _What good is love if it only hurts? Randi, don't die. I'll never survive your death. _Though long seconds passed with no reaction from Randi and her arms ached from the strain, Purim adamantly refused to give up. _We never got to be happy...because of me. _Again she put her lips to his. _I'm so sorry that I never told you that I love you._

Her heart skipped a beat in surprise when Randi started coughing harshly. He rolled off of Purim's lap so that he was using his arms as leverage while he expelled the water in considerable spurts. Eyes wide and unbelieving, she helped support him while he choked out the liquid.

Amid much wheezing, he finally collapsed back down onto Purim's lap, exhausted, his torso across her legs. When he groggily peered opened his eyes again, he groaned. He had thought that dying would be painful enough, but was he now to be accompanied by an angel who looked exactly like his love? Her long golden hair flowed freely over her shoulders, the vibrant color halo-ing her lovely face. He was confused, though, by the expression her features wore; the angel was crying and her forehead was etched with delicate lines that portrayed her worry. Now what? Was he a disappointment for Death, too?

"What's wrong?" he grumbled gruffly.

The angel granted him with a wavering smile. "Nothing. You're alive. Thank, Mana, you're alive." Though her voice was barely audible, Randi could hear the wonder and joy in it even as he didn't understand what she was saying. Then the angel did the most surprising thing; she kissed him. It was a light kiss, a simple brush across his lips, akin to what he imagined a fluttering butterfly would feel like. But the sensations the gesture created were beyond his comprehension and past experience. Damn! Were there _butterflies_ in his stomach?

Figuring that it was highly unlikely that this ethereal being was a unique angel trained in the seduction arts, Randi blurted out, "Are you a demon?" 

Her face registered shock. The next thing he knew, she had bent her head so that her hair covered her eyes. Even so, Randi could tell the she was crying harder, because tears fell more rapidly onto his bare chest. What was this? Some type of dream wherein he was to be tortured by showing him how much pain he caused? She spoke softly, her features still shadowed. "I was," she said. " And I'm sorry Randi, I'm so sorry...." She raised her weary eyes to his, which he had kept trained on her face. "I'm so sorry for hurting you." 

Randi would have gasped if he had had the strength, for he had only seen that much utter sorrow in the eyes of one person. His love. "Purim?" He slowly lifted his hand to cup her face. Instinctively, she leaned into it. This weeping angel looked so much like her. Was she truly Purim, who, by some miracle, had come to see him again? Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, warning the vision above him. "This is some damn trick, isn't it?"

"No, no, no." She clutched his hand to her face. " I truly am sorry, Randi. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just... afraid." She clasped his hand tighter. "I was so afraid! "

Now Randi was curious. Even with his sleepy mind, he wanted to know just what she could be frightened of. "Afraid? Of what?"

"I was afraid of betraying Dyluck."

It was Purim. This was all that she was ever concerned about. Dyluck. Angry, Randi struggled to sit up, but found that his body couldn't manage such a position in its condition. Frustrated, he rested tensely across Purim's lap once again. He glared up at her wide eyes. "Aren't you afraid that you're betraying Dyluck now?" he spat scathingly. Then he pointedly looked away. "Purim, I...I...," he growled, " Why did you even bother saving me?"

It was Purim's turn to become peeved. "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said? First of all, you're my best friend and you were committing suicide! And secondly...I love you, Randi."

Randi blinked. His mind was blinded by the brightness of that one phrase. Then he opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was literally stunned speechless. _She loved him! _

She did say that... right? He wasn't just imagining things, was he? Just to make sure he wasn't making a fool out of himself -_again-_, he sputtered, "W-what?"

Purim seemed to hold him closer, if that was possible. "Most of all I'm sorry for keeping that from you...." She saw his sherry eyes gaze up at her expectantly, and she continued, albeit slowly. On the ride over to the Sword's lake, Purim had finally uncovered all of the feelings that she had been hiding from herself. However, her reasons for hiding them were difficult to put into words. " I think... I started feeling this way since...since...well, during our travels as Mana warriors. What I felt for you then wasn't too hard too ignore, because I still loved Dyluck. Then, when he died..." Purim downcast her gaze. " And after spending a few days with you, I...I realized that I loved you."

Her words were bouncing around in his brain faster than the speed of light, and there was no doubt that he was now fully awake. As much as he felt in control of his body, however, Randi couldn't seem to wipe the wide-eyed inquiring look that must have been written all over his face. After glancing at his expression, Purim resumed her telling.

"But I still fancied myself in love with Dyluck, and to love you seemed like the greatest betrayal. So," she shrugged her shoulders in a fashion that was in no way nonchalant, "I denied my feelings for you. I buried them." She looked at him meaningfully, struggling to explain. "My love for you was always just beneath the surface though, and I had to convince myself that I still loved Dyluck more than anyone or anything. My guilt burdened me, however, because my feelings wouldn't leave me alone. And then...and then... I... decided that I would only be free of my heartache if I could find Dyluck, be with him again, show him that I loved him and always would."

"So you tortured yourself with memories?" Randi said softly, meaning it as a statement.

She nodded. "And while we stayed in Mandala after escaping the parade, or while we rode Flammie, and... especially during that picnic in Gaia's Navel...my feelings for you started to show. You could always make me happy, Randi, and at those times I just wanted to let you make me happy, and in the process, I forgot about my obsession with Dyluck." Her gaze faltered and her eyes flicked to a spot on the leaf-strewn ground. "That terrified me. For if you could see that I cared for you beyond simple friendship, then surely Dyluck would know that I had fallen in love with you. The guilt...it shamed me. I became bitter. Every time I looked at you, my heart ached with yearning but was also held back by the pain of guilt."

__

So she pushed me away to protect her heart. Mana, now it all made so much sense! Her chilling demeanor, her pleas for him to leave her alone in Mandala, running away from him in Pandora's castle garden.... It had all been a defense for her heart. 

"But..." Randi ventured, " that time when you told me that you...that you...." He could barely voice the word. "...hated me."

Purim laid a finger against mouth to silence him. " Forget that. Please. Forget that. I could never truly hate you. At that time, it was as if I would finally be rid of my sorrow. I was so desperate that I was willing to believe Dyluck was finally with me again, even when I should have guessed that it was the Devil. I thought that by finding him, the pain would finally be gone. Then the most loving kiss of my life didn't occur with Dyluck, but with you. And everything I had buried burst into realization, and, to my mind, screamed of betrayal. You, Randi, not Dyluck, had kissed me on the soul. I was so angry. I was angry at everything, especially myself, my feelings. The hurt throbbed so much that I had to strike out... because the truth is...at one time Dyluck and I _were_ madly in love. It was a very young, rebellious love, but a love nonetheless. I used to think that was the type of love I wanted. I _was_ in love with Dyluck. But ...for the longest time.... Now...."

He tried to read her gaze. "Now...what?"

In answer, she enveloped him in firm hug, gently pressing her cheek against his. Randi's senses were overcome by a warm, glorifying glow of love. He could feel her heartbeat, she was so close. Though the move cost him some effort, he placed his left hand on the small of her back in a derivative of an embrace. Then she drew away slowly, smiling softly, and took his right hand in her own. Randi glanced down, not all that surprised to find that before falling, he had subconsciously twined the mourning band between his fingers. She unraveled the worn length of black silk from his hand.

Purim carefully lay Randi down onto the leaves and stood up. He watched in silence while she waded out into the waters and over to the Sword. In defining movements, Purim tied the mourning band around the hilt so that its ends trailed along the blade, and then did the same with the blond strands she had tucked within her pocket. _Thank you, Dyluck, for everything. Goodbye, my first love.... _An unfamiliar sense of satisfaction washed over her. Everything was alright for Dyluck.

She turned and walked away, leaving the black mourning band and golden strands to rest with the Holy Sword; leaving it in the past. 

"I traveled to the Pure Lands again," Purim began to explain when she was near enough to Randi for him to hear. She lay down beside him, her golden hair spreading onto the ground and her eyes locking with his patient brown ones. " I saw Popoie."

"Popoie?" he asked. Popoie had died a long time ago. She knew that. 

"Trust me," Purim said, holding his hands. It sounded like a question.

He did. Her blue eyes were clear now, not glazed by illusion. Funny how he believed her so easily, how he was able to distinguish her moods and state of mind with such accuracy.

Purim went on to tell him about the welfare of the Mana Tree and the good health and prevalent overall spunk of Popoie. Randi laughed when Purim told him bits and pieces of the conversation and of Popoie's likewise actions, but he then grimaced at the pain it caused his badly bruised body. 

Purim stopped and looked at him worriedly. He would always be beautifully handsome to her, even with those purple marks that splotched him in places. However, those large purple marks couldn't be comfortable or healthy.... "Perhaps I should use some of Undine's magic to help you heal...."

"No!" Randi exclaimed loudly. Then, when he saw her eyes widen, he lowered the volume of his voice. "What I mean is, I... uh... really don't feel like having water of any sort. Not right now, anyway."

Purim laughed softly and grinned. "Oh brave Mana Knight," she teased. Then her features gentled. " I love you so very much."

Randi could see the truth shining through her eyes, and it filled him with joy. He had to know, though. Leaving the mourning band tied to the Sword was symbolic, and doing so obviously held great meaning for Purim, but he had to be sure of its purpose.... "Purim," he began, stroking her hands with his thumbs, " I love you, and I promise you that I always will." He paused for a moment. "But...I don't want to hurt you again. I don't want you to be overcome by guilt. I have to know if -." 

Once again Purim stopped his speech with one of her fingers. "Popoie told me something else, Randi." 

It was just like Randi to lower his eyebrows in question rather than raise one of them. She found it quite cute.

Smiling, she continued. "He told me that he can talk to the dead. All of the dead. He told me that Dyluck said that he was happy where he was, and that I shouldn't deny my feelings, that I should live happily. I've said goodbye to him, Randi." She slid her hand down along his roughened cheek to cradle his sturdy chin. " I can think of no man other than you who can make my soul complete and happy."

" My love, I promise you that I shall do my best."

As for Randi's lips, Purim discovered, they weren't bruised at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	13. Epilogue

Disclaimer: 'Tis a sad world in which I must admit that SoM belongs not to myself, but to Squaresoft. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Randi sat up swiftly, the white sheet slipping to his waist. He scanned the dimly lit castle room warily.

Purim rubbed her eyes open and drowsily wrapped her arms around his sculptured midriff, laying her chin on his shoulder and snuggling against the warmth of his back. "Mmmm Randi...what's wrong?"

Randi found himself distracted not only by the presence he detected in the room, but now also by Purim's body. "Uh...nothing," he mumbled quickly.

She smiled into the curve of his neck. "Even as the soon-to-be King of Southtown," she sighed, amused, "you still pout." 

"Pout?" He glanced at her incredulously. "I do _not _pout!" 

Purim quirked an eyebrow and looked pointedly at his arms. His eyes followed her blue gaze and he saw that his arms where folded in a most dissatisfied manner. 

"Your lower lip is sticking out, too," Purim added, sounding as if she could burst into a fit of giggles at any moment. " So I know that something's bothering you." She twisted her head to nibble at his full lip, but he clamped down on his lower lip with his teeth. Now his upper lip jutted out a bit, but she wouldn't tell him that; he would hide that one, too, and with his present expression, he was just plain adorable.

Randi dropped his arms to his sides so as not to portray what Purim called "pouting." He did have to remember, though, that they both read each other's feelings with extreme clarity, and it was no use trying to keep disturbing thoughts from her. Besides, Purim was well past being-actually, she never had been- overly sensitive to hints of danger. 

"I feel a spirit in the room...I think," he explained.

He felt Purim tense behind him, then relax just as suddenly. She made a tsking noise. "It's Popoie."

"Popoie? You can tell?" It was getting harder to concentrate on the topic at hand, what with Purim's unique scent wafting about him.

Purim shrugged, causing her shoulders to rub his skin. "I guess so. I mean, it feels the same as when I was near him around the Mana Tree."

Randi perused the room again. "Well, then I have just a few things to say.... Popoie, I'm really glad to...'see' you.... But I swear, if you don't get out of here in a few seconds, you're going to see some things I guarantee you'll regret seeing!"

Purim felt the sprite zoom out of the room just before Randi swooped down on her lips, trailing his fingertips along her ribs as they both fell back onto the bed. A spark of anticipation tingled down her spine.

Randi stopped and looked at her with concern. "You're shivering."

"With delight," Purim answered. Her hands locked within his silky hair.

"Good." He released a glad sigh. His voice turned seductively husky. "Because, my Queen Purim, I make it my personal duty to see to it that you never become cold ever again."

There was no more emptiness, no more pain. Only joy and happiness remained at finally having found the one who could fill the heart's void with love and complete the utter being of the former warrior's spirit. Needless to say, they spent a considerable amount of time kissing each other's souls. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dilandau: That was so...  
Sayermyst: Sweet?  
Dilandau: I've never been exposed to such... such SAPPYNESS in my life!  
Sayermyst: *smile* Yeah.... But doesn't it leave you with a warm, content feeling?  
Dilandau: ... I don't think I'm going to answer that question.


End file.
